Photo Credit:Laura Bolton, Fork Knife Swoon,  2018.

Tart and fizzy honey rosemary grapefruit sodas combine a sweet and herbaceous rosemary simple syrup with fresh grapefruit juice and pure honey for a flavorful, naturally-sweetened homemade spritzer you will want to sip on all Winter long and well into the Summer months.

Recipe Adapted from
Laura Bolton
Fork Knife Swoon
August 2018

Ingredients:
For simple syrup (makes about 1-1/2 cups):
1 cup water
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice

Directions:
To make the simple syrup:
Heat the water, sugar, honey, and grapefruit juice in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Add the grapefruit zest and rosemary, and let gently simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and steep for up to an hour.

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a glass jar, and chill before serving. Can be made in advance, and stored in the refrigerator for about a week.

To serve, fill a highball glass with ice. Add the rosemary simple syrup and fresh grapefruit juice. Stir to combine. Top with soda/sparkling water.

Garnish with grapefruit slices and/or a sprig of rosemary. Serve and enjoy!

Bartender Notes:
The rosemary grapefruit syrup can be made in advance and keeps for about a week, which is ideal for doling out single servings, but can also be easily multiplied if feeding a crowd.

To make it alcoholic:
Add 1 shot of gin before topping with soda.

To make a rosemary Paloma Cocktail:
Add 1 shot of tequila and a big squeeze of lime to the rosemary simple and grapefruit juice.

To make it vegan:
Swap pure maple syrup or organic cane sugar for the honey.