Ingredients
Scale
- 1 teaspoon of lemon zest (zest of 1 lemon)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (juice from 1 lemon)
- Sprigs from 5 stems of rosemary (about 1/3 cup of sprigs)
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- Lemon slices for garnish
- Rosemary sprigs for garnish
- Seltzer
- Gin or vodka (optional)
Instructions
- Put sugar and water into a small saucepan and heat gently—don’t boil—until sugar is dissolved. Take off the heat and set aside to cool.
- In a small, clean jar with a lid, add lemon juice, lemon zest, rosemary, and vinegar. Pound or muddle the contents gently with a muddler stick, pestle, or the handle of a stainless steel spoon to break everything down and to release the lemon and rosemary oils.
- Add simple syrup liquid. Stir and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Then, strain into a jar with a lid, which will keep in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.
- For a mocktail, add 3 tablespoons of syrup to a glass full of ice, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and top with seltzer.
- For a cocktail, in a cocktail shaker with ice, add 1 ounce of fresh lemon juice, 1 ounce simple syrup, and 2 ounces of gin or vodka. Shake for 20 seconds or until chilled and combined. Add to a cup with ice and top with seltzer and optional garnish of a rosemary sprig and a slice of fresh lemon.
Notes
Other combinations that we like:
- Lemon + Rosemary + Simple Syrup + Seltzer
- Lemon + Thyme + Simple Syrup + Seltzer
- Grapefruit + Sage + Simple Syrup + Tonic
- Blood Orange or Orange + Basil or Mint + Simple Syrup + Seltzer
The simple syrup is key and the only thing that is not interchangeable. It offsets the herbaceousness of the herbs and tart citrus.