Rosemary Gin Cocktail

Jenny is in perpetual search for easy, weeknight recipes to attempt to feed her family. When they balk, she just eats more.

Looking for a break from eggnog, Champagne, or, if you’ve had a lot of house guests this season, sobriety generally? Perchance have you some extra rosemary around? How about a new cocktail for the New Year, kids?

We’re talking about this Rosemary Gin Cocktail, a fairly balanced, highly delicious blend of herbs, booze and sugar. You’re working with quite a bit of rosemary here, but you’ll have to take Amy Stafford @ A Healthy Life For Me’s word for it: you need this much and it won’t overwhelm your glass.

Basically you are making a simple syrup with rosemary and sugar, letting it rest for a while (in my case, I made it before a batch of cookies, then saved it for the cocktail hour) and mixing it up with some fresh lemon juice and sparkling water over ice, then letting things get crazy, if crazy is your thing.

Want to make this super week night-ish? Forget grinding up your rosemary and just steep the branches in your sugar water. You could even substitute the lemons and water with Italian lemon soda. If you want to make it with vodka, I won’t tell anyone, but might think slightly less of you.

Cheers!

Rosemary Gin Cocktail by Amy Stafford @ A Healthy Life For Me

This recipe originally comes from Creative Culinary and Olivéa Restaurant in Denver.

Makes 1

Rosemary Syrup:

1/4 cup ground fresh rosemary (I used my coffee grinder but a food processor would work)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar

Cocktail:

1 1/2 ounce gin
3/4 ounces rosemary syrup
3/4 ounces fresh lemon juice
Club soda
Spring of rosemary for garnish

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photo by James Ransom