Summer drinks have a totally different vibe than winter drinks for a good reason. Gone are the thick, warm fare of hot chocolate and egg nog, and in its place we want fresh flavors served as cold as possible.
I love the flavor of fresh fruit and herbs together, and I like to have little pots of herbs on my back porch in warm weather so I can step out and get mint, rosemary, or cilantro any time I want.
I’ve been really into grapefruits for the first time in my life lately, so I thought I’d combine the slightly tart citrus flavor with one of my favorite herbs for a pretty sparkling summertime cocktail.
Related: Classic Gimlet Cocktail, 25+ Refreshing Spring Cocktails, Simple Syrup Recipe, and Best Mint Mojito.
Rosemary Simple Syrup, makes 1/2 cup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
4 sprigs of rosemary
Rosemary Grapefruit Sparkler, serves one
1 oz gin
2 oz fresh grapefruit juice
2 teaspoons rosemary simple syrup
seltzer water
rosemary and grapefruit peel to garnish
To make the simple syrup, add the sugar and water into a small pot and warm over medium heat until all the sugar is dissolved.
Add in the rosemary sprigs and let it simmer on medium/low heat for five minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the mixture to sit for another 10 minutes before straining out the rosemary.
For the drink, squeeze some fresh grapefruits and add 2 oz of juice to a cocktail glass with ice. Add 1 oz gin and 2 tablespoons of the rosemary syrup to the glass and stir.
Top off with seltzer water. To make it look a little fancy, you can add a rosemary sprig and use a vegetable peeler to peel some of the grapefruit rind for a garnish.
This is a little tart, a little sweet, a little bubbly, and a whole lot of refreshing. Totally the perfect drink for a summer porch party kind of night.
And, if you also enjoy having a little container garden on your back porch, you can easily grow a pot of rosemary to enjoy this drink all summer long! xo. Laura
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Ingredients
for the homemade syrup:
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 4 sprigs of rosemary
cocktail:
- 1 oz gin
- 2 oz grapefruit juice (fresh)
- 2 teaspoons rosemary simple syrup (see recipe)
- seltzer water
- rosemary and grapefruit peel (for garnish)
Instructions
- To make the simple syrup, add the sugar and water into a small pot and warm over medium heat until all the sugar is dissolved. Add in the rosemary sprigs and let it simmer on medium/low heat for five minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the mixture to sit for another 10 minutes before straining out the rosemary.
- For the drink, squeeze some fresh grapefruits and add 2 oz of juice to a cocktail glass with ice. Add 1 oz gin and 2 tablespoons of the rosemary syrup to the glass and stir.
- Top off with seltzer water. To make it look a little fancy, you can add a rosemary sprig and use a vegetable peeler to peel some of the grapefruit rind for a garnish.
Not trying to be an internet troll, but summer is the exact wrong time to make a citrus drink! Citrus is in season starting late November through Feb/March.
I tried it (twice) and it’s so yummy ! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
this sounds delish! I would make it nonalcoholic with sparkling water instead of gin, but it’d be perfect to enjoy out on the new patio swing! We just made our own custom swing cushions and I can’t wait to spend the summer on it! http://www.shehlagrr.com/2016/05/diy-patio-swing-refinish.html
The drink looks absolutely delicious. We are loving the matching gold stripes and straw, too. Presentation always gives that extra special feeling to something. 🙂
I mean this cocktail is a work of art! #swoon… and where did you purchase those tumblers? Thx!
Sadly I hate gin! Do you think I could try this recipe with another alcohol? Maybe vodka?
xx Caroline
https://carolinespassion.wordpress.com
LOVE rosemary. HATE grapefruit. I was wondering whether the sugar would be enough to take the combined bitterness away but you said a little tarty, it probably goes well in that regard for a nice summer drink.
Charlie xx
momentsbycharlie.com
This sparkler looks so refreshing! And, it provides the perfect excuse for me to plan a get together to start the weekend.
Happy Wednesday
www.lovecompassionatelee.com/thinkoutloud
Great idea!
Laura 🙂
Ha! That’s hilarious! Love those books…
Laura 🙂
I would say about a week in the fridge 🙂
Laura
This recipe is great for Popsicles. I make them every summer.
This sounds delicious and refreshing!
I’ve actually been looking for a good Rosemary and grapefruit cocktail for a while now. I’m planning my best friend’s bachelorette party (renting a cottage by a lake in Mont-Tremblant, QC) and I wanted to make a special cocktail for the first night and since she loves rosemary, I figured finding a cocktail showcasing this herb would be perfect. My only issue here is that she hates fizzy/sparkly drinks (she says the fizziness assaults her taste buds). I’ll have to try to make this with normal water and make it more like “lemonade” kinda thing.
Wow,this looks and must taste heavenly ! I love love love rosemary and grape fruit but never thought about putting them in a drink. Thanks for the recipe ♡
I love your blog!:)) http://www.itselen.com/
Your comment about summer and winter drinks reminded me of this crazy thing I read in one of the Little House on the Prairie books; there’s a passage where Pa is working out in the field, in the hot sun, and in the heat of the day it says Laura brings him a bucket of cool eggnog to drink! I don’t know if it was for extra energy or what, but I couldn’t imagine drinking eggnog on a hot summer day!
This drink sounds so good! I’m definitely going to have to try making it, great post!
Ella xx
www.ellaselement.blogspot.co.uk
It’s a gin cocktail! I love those! And I do have to make this rosemary syrup, it’s now been the second time I have read about it. Must be the essential syrup for summer!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
Good article
http://www.tophandbagnews.com