SPANISH STYLE ROSEMARY GIN FIZZ

Cheers!

In my last post I invited you to a birthday party I recently hosted.  You can read all about it here.

I made lots of yummy food and drinks for the party and promised to share the recipes with you.

So, this week I will do just that.

Today lets get started with this delicious and refreshing recipe for a Spanish Style Rosemary Gin Fizz.

The use of rosemary in the cocktail was in keeping with a sort of rosemary theme I had going on for the table decor.  I wrapped small rosemary plants in burlap, tied them up with twine and gave them as party favors to all my guests.

I also had a Spanish theme going on with the food, having served Spanish Romesco Sauce with Fresh Salmon.  And, as I understand it, Gin has been discovered big time in Spain and bartenders all over the country are dreaming up new ways to use it.  They even have bars in Spain dedicated only to Gin! Since Gin is my beverage of choice, and rosemary plants were the party favors, and the food had a Spanish flair, and hey, I’m Spanish, I thought I’d infuse gin with a rosemary simple syrup and add Cava, the sparkling wine of Spain.  Thus the name, Spanish Style Rosemary Gin Fizz.  And, the use of sparkling wine also seemed appropriate for a celebration and a toast to the birthday girls.

So, here is how to make it.  We will start by making a Rosemary Simple Syrup by adding 2 cups of granulated sugar to a small saucepan.

Next pour in 2 cups of water.  It’s simple, equal parts sugar and water.

Rince a handful of fresh rosemary (4 or 5 sprigs) and plop them in the pot with the water and sugar.  Over medium heat, bring the sugar water to a slow boil, stirring constantly just until the sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce the heat and continue cooking for a few more minutes until the syrup begins to thicken a bit.  Do not stir at this point.

Strain the syrup into a heatproof vessel (I used a Pyrex measuring cup) and place it in the refrigerator to cool completely before use.  Discard the solids. As you can see, Simple Syrup is just that, simple to make. Leftover syrup keeps well in the fridge and can be used in ice tea, lemonade or to sweeten all types of drinks. And by the way, you can add things like citrus rinds, spices, vanilla beans or other fresh herbs (mint, lavender, basil) to your Simple Syrup, or simply leave it plain and unflavored, depending on what you are adding it too.

Juice 3 to 4 lemons to produce 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice and place it in the fridge to chill until you are ready to assemble your Spanish Style Rosemary Gin Fizz.

Now for this part you are going to have to use your imagination because I failed to take photos.  Just before you are ready to serve your Spanish Style Rosemary Gin Fizz do the following:

Mix together

• 2 Cups Chilled Rosemary Simple Syrup
• 2 Cups Good Quality Gin
• 1/2 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice

Next, get yourself an attractive clear pitcher.  I hope your pitcher is more attractive than mine.  Add a couple of long sprigs of rosemary to your attractive clear pitcher.  Then, pour in your mixture of simple syrup, gin & lemon juice.  The final step is to add a bottle of chilled Cave, sparkling Spanish wine.  Give it a quick stir to combine.

Serve your Spanish Style Rosemary Gin Fizz cocktails in champagne or wine glasses, to which you have added yet another sprig of fresh rosemary.  The rosemary I used was new and tender growth from my kitchen garden.  I think this cocktail would look more attractive if you used more mature rosemary stalks that held their shape better.  So, don’t do as I did but rather do as I say and get nice stiff rosemary stalks for your Spanish Style Rosemary Gin Fizzes.  You’ll be glad you did!

Then you won’t have wilty looking rosemary in your cocktails like I did.  However, in any case you will have a wonderful and refreshing way to……

make a toast to your happy guests.

So there you have it, my delicious and refreshing recipe for a Spanish Style Rosemary Gin Fizz.

CHEERS!

Stay tuned because all this week I will be sharing my recipes from this birthday celebration.

PS – You will have leftover simple syrup.  Store it in the fridge for up to 2 months. Use to sweeten beverages of all types.

SPANISH STYLE ROSEMARY GIN FIZZ

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

This delicious and refreshing cocktail uses Cava, Spanish style sparkling wine, to give it an effervescent kick. The hint of rosemary combined with fresh lemon makes for a perfect summer cocktail.

Author: Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

Recipe type: Cocktail

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 2 Cups Water
• 5 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary (plus more for garnish)
• ½ Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
• 2 Cup Good Quality Gin
• 1 Bottle Chilled Cava, Spanish Sparkling Wine

Instructions

1. Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan.
2. Add 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary to the pot.
3. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly just until sugar is completely dissolved.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes until syrup begins to thicken slightly.
5. Do not stir at this point.
6. Strain syrup into a heatproof vessel and discard the solids.
7. Refrigerate until completely cooled.
8. Squeeze the juice of 3 or 4 lemons to make ½ Cup fresh lemon juice.
9. Chill lemon juice in the refrigerator.
10. Place 3 or 4 long stalks of fresh rosemary in a large clear glass pitcher.
11. Measure 2 cups of the chilled rosemary simple syrup and add it to the pitcher.
12. Store the remaining syrup in the fridge for future use.
13. Add lemon juice, gin and cava to the pitcher. Stir to combine.
14. Serve in champagne glasses that have been garnished with a sprig of fresh rosemary.
15. ENJOY!

Notes

Use leftover rosemary simple syrup to sweeten iced tea, lemonade or other types of cocktails. The simple syrup keeps for up to 2 months in the refrigerator.

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