Rosemary Grapefruit Sparkler

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.

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

Credits//Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.