Homesweet Homegrown

| Main |

December 13th, 2012

Last summer, as we trekked around the country for our epic Amtrak book tour, we served up what I like to call Heirloom Cocktails at each stop, my new spin on the classic cocktail featuring old fashioned varieties of veggies and herbs.

I served up a bunch of these at the Greensgrow Subaru Fall Fest in Philly a few months ago at the Organic Gardening Tent and they were such a hit, I had to share this recipe for you guys! These tasty Rosemary Lemon Gin Fizz drinks would be fantastic signature cocktail at your holiday party this year.

I’m not even a gin person, but in this drink the aromatic rosemary, tart lemon, and spicy juniper flavors in the gin blend together to create the perfect winter cocktail—classy, smooth, and almost a little too easy to drink while you are hanging out by the mistletoe (just a warning!).

You can also make them sans alcohol of course and experiment by adding cranberry or pomegranate juice for a bit of holiday flair.

Rosemary Lemon Gin Fizz

To make, you’ll need:
1/4 cup of rosemary simple syrup (see below)
2 cups of Ice
Seltzer Water
6  ounces Gin
1 lemon, juiced
4 lemon slices
4  rosemary sprigs

Serves 4

1.  In a pitcher, stir lemon juice, gin and rosemary simple syrup.
2.  Fill each glass halfway with ice and distribute pitcher mixture
among the four glasses. Top each glass with seltzer water, garnish with lemon slices and stir with a rosemary sprig. Enjoy!

Rosemary Simple Syrup
1 cup of fresh rosemary sprigs
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of water
Heat up rosemary and water in a saucepan until it boils. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes, before turning off the heat. Let syrup cool and then strain into a glass jar. You can use this right away, or keep it in the fridge in a glass jar for up to a month.

Serves 4

I’ll also be back at Greensgrow this Saturday (can you tell it’s one of my favorite places?) for their Holiday Bazaar in the Greenhouse, featuring crafty handmade holiday presents from all sorts of cool local Philly vendors. I’ll be there signing books, and selling our own Homesweet Homegrown hot sauces and smoked ghost peppers—stop by and say hello!