Add Rosemary To Gin Cocktails For A Boost Of Herbaceous Flavor
Gins are steeped with a variety of botanicals that are responsible for each brand's unique flavor, with common ingredients including juniper berries, coriander, fennel, pine, and citrus. As it's already a characteristically bold spirit, rosemary is a fitting herbal complement for your next gin cocktail.
Popping a sprig of fresh rosemary into your gin cocktail as a garnish will impart the herb's flavor. If you prefer a sweeter cocktail or stronger rosemary note, you can also transform the herb into a quick simple syrup, like the one we use in this Negroni Float. Making rosemary simple syrup couldn't be easier: start out with your go-to simple syrup recipe, toss in a few rosemary sprigs, and strain. Another option is to muddle the herb if you're looking for more rosemary flavor than a sprig would offer but in a rush or uninterested in adding the sweetness with the simple syrup.
The options are truly endless when it comes to using rosemary to elevate the gin cocktails in your mixology grimoire, but we have a few ideas to get you started and help your boozy botanical brainstorm blossom.
Herb is the word
Rosemary may make cocktails look fancy, but bartending with the woody herb couldn't be easier. Give a plain Jane gin and tonic a sweet, herbaceous facelift with a little rosemary simple syrup, which can also be used to dress up a classic Tom Collins, as it does in our Meyer Lemon Tom Collins recipe. You can also combine fresh rosemary and lime juice with gin for a gimlet that'll leave dinner party guests thirsty for more.
And you don't have to keep it simple if you're looking to flex your mixology skills. While you probably wouldn't want to add rosemary to a gin martini, since the appeal of this particular cocktail is its understated flavor and strong spirit, the herb would complement a Hanky Panky, the sweeter take on a classic gin martini. The cocktail is a combination of gin, Fernet-Branca, and sweet vermouth; a sprig of fresh rosemary would amp up the cocktail's already strong botanical flavor.
Feeling even fancier than a Boulevardier? Try a rosemary Aviation. Gin meets maraschino liqueur, crème de violette, and lemon juice for a sophisticated cocktail with a moody purple hue. It's typically garnished with a Luxardo cherry, but a sprig of fresh rosemary would add herbaceous dimensionality to the dark floral flavor of the crème de violette. Depending on your palatal preference, that homemade rosemary simple syrup could lend a welcome addition of sweetness here, too, to offset the bitter cherry.
From here you can play around, adding rosemary to suit your tastes and complement your favorite gin cocktails.