I think I’m having the opposite of a Dry January (who decided to make that a thing – rude!). Mixing up a special cocktail has become part of our stay-at-home weekend rituals now. With more time hanging around the house, I’ve really been enjoying experimenting with new combinations. This drink has a flavorful simple syrup that was inspired by some beautiful blood oranges I found at Trader Joe’s last week. The blood oranges get simmered with a simple syrup mixture, and fresh rosemary sprigs and spiced cinnamon sticks. It’s a fragrant mixture that has all of my favorite cocktails notes — herbs, citrus, and a touch of spice. The syrup gets chilled and mixed with gin, then topped with bubbly prosecco or champagne — it makes for a festive bubbly drink! Get the recipe below: 

Spiced Blood Orange and Rosemary Cocktails.
Serves: 4-5 drinks
 
Ingredients
  • 1 Cup of Water
  • 1 Cup of Sugar
  • 1 Rosemary Sprig, plus more for garnish
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick
  • 3 Small Blood Oranges, plus more orange peels for garnish
  • Gin
  • Champagne
Instructions
  1. Combine water, sugar, 1 rosemary sprig and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan; squeeze the juices of the blood oranges into the pan and add in the remaining orange peels.
  2. Simmer the mixture over low-medium heat for about 15 minutes, until it reduces by about one half.
  3. Strain the syrup into a glass container, and discard the rosemary sprig, cinnamon stick and orange peels. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour or until ready to use.
  4. Combine 1.5oz of the chilled simple syrup with 1.5 oz of gin in a cocktail glass, top with chilled champagne and garnish with a rosemary sprig and orange peel.