• Cocktail of the Week,  Cocktails / Food

    Rosemary Hibiscus Gin Spritz

    I had leftover Hibiscus Rosemary Concentrate from my New Year’s Eve Hibiscus champagne cocktail, so I created this new Spritz. Remember, there are three basic ingredients for a spritz: liquor / liqueur, bubbles and soda. You can always add additional ingredients to create more complex flavors, as I’ve done below. (Click blue words for more recipes or additional information.)

    Add to a cocktail shaker:

    2 oz of your favorite herbal gin (I used The Botanist)

    1 oz Rosemary Hibiscus Concentrate (recipe below photo) If you’re not a fan of hibiscus or just don’t want to make the concentrate, try the cocktail without the concentrate. I bet it’s delicious!

    1 1/2 oz St Germain Elderflower Liqueur (this liqueur compliments gin nicely, add a splash to your gin and tonic or gin and soda)

    Fill shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a large wine or water goblet with fresh ice cubes, then top with:

    4 oz Prosecco (I used LaMarca)

    2 oz club soda

    Stir gently. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary. (Rub the rosemary between your fingers before adding to release the oils.)

    Cheers!

    Hibiscus Gin Spritz

    Hibiscus Rosemary Concentrate. If you can find hibiscus flowers that’s great, (available on Amazon) but if not, just pick up a container of natural hibiscus tea at the grocery store. The Republic of Tea is a good brand.

    • Boil 1 1/2 cups of water
    • Add 1/4 cup of hibiscus flowers or several tea bags and a couple sprigs of fresh rosemary

    Let steep for at least 10 minutes until the concentrate is a dark red.

    Strain out the flowers and rosemary, discard. Refrigerate the concentrated tea for up to one week. (If you have any leftover concentrate, try it in the Hibiscus margarita or the Hibiscus Champagne Cocktail.) 

    For a non-alcoholic drink with the hibiscus concentrate try: 1 oz fresh lemon juice, 1 oz Hibiscus concentrate and 5 ounces of club soda over ice.

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  • Cocktail of the Week,  Cocktails / Food

    Greyhound or Salty Dog with Rosemary

    What do you do when you have a huge tree full of grapefruit? Make fresh grapefruit juice cocktails! Don’t have fresh grapefruit? Most grocery stores have fresh squeezed juices in their produce departments.

    1 part vodka (I prefer Grey Goose – stored in the freezer, of course)

    2 parts fresh grapefruit juice

    1/4 – 1/2 part rosemary simple syrup (heat 1 part sugar with 1 part water and several sprigs of fresh rosemary until sugar is dissolved, strain and chill in the fridge for up to 1 month.)

    Fresh rosemary

    Fill a rocks glass with ice, vodka, grapefruit juice and rosemary simple syrup. Mix and taste. If it’s too tart, add more simple syrup. Garnish with a fresh sprig of rosemary. (If you prefer your greyhound unsweetened; skip the simple syrup and just stir your cocktail several times with a fresh sprig of rosemary to distribute some of the rosemary oils throughout your drink.)

    If you like how salt brings out the taste of grapefruit, salt the rim of your glass before filling. Now you have a Salty Dog.

    Cheers!

    I have access to a lot of grapefruit juice! Please share your favorite grapefruit juice cocktails in the Comments section below.

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