Sparkling Grapefruit Rosemary Mocktail
Rosemary is such a beautiful aromatic, I just can't get enough! (I also use it in floral bouquets around the house!) What is your favourite herb?
Ingredients
Rosemary Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
3 sprigs of rosemary
Mocktail (per 4 servings):
2 cups pink or ruby red grapefruit juice
1/4 cup of the rosemary simple syrup
4 cups sparkling water
Directions
To make the rosemary syrup:
In a small sauce pan on the stove, add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of granulated sugar over medium heat. Dissolve the sugar (this should take about 5 minutes). Do not let the mixture boil or crystals will form. Once the sugar has dissolved, pour the simple syrup into a heat safe container. Add 3 sprigs of rosemary and let steep for at least one hour. The syrup will keep in the refrigerator for ten days.
Mocktail (per 1 serving):
Fill glass halfway with ice. Add 1/2 cup grapefruit juice into your glass. Add 1 Tablespoon (1/2 oz) of your homemade rosemary simple syrup. Stir. Fill the remainder of the glass with sparkling water (about 1 cup). Garnish with rosemary sprig and sliced grapfruit.
Fruity "Noijto"
Mojitos are so versatile and SO easy to make... I like watermelon (when I'm in the tropics) or raspberries (when I'm somewhere they are in season) in mine, but it could just as easily be blueberries, strawberries, pomegranate, or classic mint and lime. What variation do you prefer?
Ingredients
Small handful of mint leaves 4 cubes of watermelon or 8 berries (give or take)
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp of cane sugar (or more or less to taste - I like mine tart)
Ice
Soda water to taste
To garnish
Mint leaves
Lime slices
Fruit of choice
Directions
Combine the mint, fruit or berries, lime juice and sugar in a glass and muddle everything together. The muddling step is important. Despite how fragrant mint is, those leaves won’t give up their flavor until you press them! But you don’t want to crush them. Top with some ice and soda water, garnish and serve.
Pomegranate Lassi
What does Friday mean for you? Is it going out to the club, staying in with a good book, or visiting with girlfriends?
No matter what activity you're partaking in this weekend, a fabulous Pomegranate Lassi might be the perfect compliment to your celebration. Lassi is one of the super foods that infuses your body with tons of energy without having too many calories, which I know we can all appreciate.
Ingredients
½ cup of Pomegranate seeds
1 cup of thick yogurt, Greek yogurt or coconut yogurt
A pinch of cardamom powder
2 tablespoon honey or sugar
½ teaspoon kewra essence or rose-water
A few pistachios to garnish
A few pomegranate seeds to garnish
Directions
First grind or blend the pomegranate seeds. Then sieve the juice to get rid of any crushed seeds. Chop few pistachios and put the rest for garnishing. Now in a big mixing bowl add yogurt, pomegranate juice, pistachios, cardamom and honey. Mix everything thoroughly with a whisk (for this step you can also use hand blender). Now you will see that froth has formed on the top of the lassi... that’s exactly what you want! Pour into individual glasses. Garnish with crushed Pistachios and few pomegranate seeds. Serve it chilled. You can also add one ice-cube to the serving glass to keep the lassi chilled.
Sangria Sans Alcohol
Ingredients:
2 cups boiling water
2 black tea bags (or 2 teaspoons loose-leaf tea in an infuser; decaf tea is fine)
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup sugar (or honey)
3 cups pomegranate juice
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 medium orange, sliced into thin rounds
1 medium lemon, sliced into thin rounds
1 medium lime, sliced into thin rounds
1 medium apple, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2-4 medium strawberries, sliced into thin rounds
3 cups carbonated water
Directions:
Pour the boiling water over tea bags and cinnamon sticks and steep for 5 minutes. Discard tea bags and stir in sugar to dissolve. In a large jar or pitcher, combine tea, cinnamon sticks, pomegranate juice, orange juice, orange, lemon, lime, and apple. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (preferably overnight). Just before serving, stir in carbonated water. Serve in glasses over ice.
Rosemary Blueberry Fizz
Ingredients:
7-8 Blueberries
1 Rosemary sprig, stripped
1 oz Honey syrup
1 oz Fresh lemon juice, strained
4 oz Sparkling mineral water
Ice
Directions:
Gently muddle blueberries, rosemary leaves, and honey syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add lemon juice and shake, covered, with ice vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain through a mesh strainer into a tall glass of fresh ice. Top with sparkling water and stir to incorporate. Garnish with additional blueberries and rosemary.