Rosemary Cranberry Spritz
Cranberry is the one flavour everyone expects at the Thanksgiving table, and rosemary makes it taste grown-up. A quick honey-rosemary syrup does the sweetening, so there is no bottled mixer, and the whole base is made before the first guest rings the bell. Top it with prosecco for the adults or sparkling water for everyone else.
What you'll need
- 0.5 cup honey (120 ml)
- 0.5 cup water (120 ml)
- 3 rosemary sprigs
- 2 cups cranberry juice, unsweetened or lightly sweetened, chilled (480 ml)
- 0.25 cup fresh lemon juice (60 ml)
- 0.5 cup rosemary honey syrup (120 ml)
- 3 cups dry prosecco, chilled, or sparkling water for the alcohol-free pitcher (720 ml)
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- extra rosemary sprigs
How to make it
Warm the honey, water and rosemary in a small pan until the honey dissolves, then take it off the heat and let it steep 15 minutes. Remove the rosemary and chill the syrup.
Stir the cranberry juice, lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the syrup in a pitcher. Taste: it should be tart with a honeyed edge. Add a little more syrup if it needs it.
Fill wine glasses with ice and cranberries, pour in the base until it is two-thirds full, then top with the prosecco or sparkling water.
Glass: Wine glasses over ice. Garnish: A rosemary sprig and three fresh cranberries in each glass.
Chef's secrets
Use juice that is not from concentrate with added sugar; the syrup does the sweetening and you stay in control.
Slap the rosemary against your palm before garnishing; it releases its scent.
Good to know
The syrup and the base keep in the fridge for two days. Add the fizz in the glass, never in the pitcher.