Author Notes: My husband and I eloped last fall. It was pretty great (and don’t worry, we’re going to get the chance to celebrate with all of our friends and family too, next fall). We took two of our best friends – one of whom conveniently is a minister – to the park right by where we live and had a tiny ceremony under the trees. Afterwards we all went out to a fabulous dinner at our favorite neighborhood restaurant where the absolutely amazing staff showered us with champagne, cocktails, cheeses, and such on the house. Having been in a state of bubbly over excitement, I don’t remember most of the details of the dinner, but one of the drinks we had has stuck with me. A lovely, refreshing, champagne cocktail lightly laced with the scent of rosemary and lemons. I’ve been thinking about trying to make my own version for a while now, and finally got around to it. This one is just as delicious as the version in my memory. —fiveandspice
Serves: 2
Ingredients
Rosemary lemon sparkler
-
2
ounces rosemary simple syrup (see below)
-
2
ounces fresh squeezed lemon juice – Meyer or regular lemon
-
a fairly nice (but not crazy expensive, after all, you’re doctoring it) dry champagne or prosecco
-
2
sprigs (small ones) of rosemary, to garnish
Rosemary simple syrup
-
1
cup sugar
-
1
cup water
-
4
4-5 inch, or so, pieces of fresh rosemary
Directions
Rosemary lemon sparkler
- Divide the the rosemary syrup and lemon juice between 2 champagne flutes. Stir. Fill the rest of the way with champagne. Garnish with little sprigs of rosemary. Sante!
Rosemary simple syrup
- In a saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and rosemary. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Boil for one minute, then remove from the heat.
- Let sit for a half hour, then strain into a jar, removing the rosemary. Allow to cool completely, then chill before using. Obviously this makes far more rosemary syrup than you need for 2 drinks, but don’t worry, you’ll want to use it in all sorts of other drinks. Well, plus you need to use up that open bottle of champagne, so who wants to stop at just 1 drink for each of you?!