The gin and citrus cocktail you should be having. It is lovely and cheerful, ideal for winter vacations and New Year’s Eve.

I keep rosemary in the kitchen for a significant portion of the year. Usually, it is crammed into a wide-mouth jar while silently waiting to be summoned. It occasionally rests on the windowsill here, migrates to the island, and rarely sits at the dinner table. I often purchase a large quantity and use it gradually. To put it another way, I frequently have rosemary in my line of sight and am constantly thinking of new uses for it. A few weeks ago, I became interested in this drink, and ever since then, I’ve been creating my citrus-spiked riffs on it.

So, my original plan was to make a winter citrus version of gin and tonic water or sparkling water with freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice. The gin’s evergreen undertones would go well with grapefruit’s tart wrinkle, and a touch of rosemary syrup would help to soften the edge.

We came to be after I stumbled upon a box of stunning Moro red oranges in the shop. The blood orange juice was a perfect addition; it offered a nice splash of color and, all in all, made for a lengthy, cheery wintertime quencher. One that consumes somewhat too quickly. As I indicate further below, if blood oranges are difficult to find for you, you can also make this beverage with navel oranges. I sincerely hope you enjoy this one as much as I do.

The gin and citrus combination would make for a visually appealing DIY cocktail set up at a holiday party or brunch, or gathering for the new year, primarily if you provided a variety of juice mixers. Minor glass pitchers filled with orange juice, blood orange juice, pink grapefruit juice, oro blanco grapefruit juice, and sweet lime juice come to mind. It would have a lovely spectrum. If you try it, let me know how it goes.

Ingredients

• Water, 2 cups (480 ml).
• 6.5 ounces/185 g/1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons (or about 2 sprigs) fresh leaves of rosemary
• 1 bay leaf, if desired
• Gin, blood oranges, and ice cubes with tonic or sparkling water

Instructions

• Over medium heat, combine the rosemary, bay, water, sugar, and other ingredients in a small saucepan. Stirring occasionally, bring to a simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or long enough for the sugar to dissolve. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and let the mixture steep. Then, strain into a jar to completely cool.
• Oranges should be juiced and strained in the interim; each drink requires 3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) of juice.
• You’ll mix equal parts gin, juice, and tonic water with a bit of syrup, ice, and each drink. Thus, each tall glass contains 3 tablespoons of gin, 1 1/2 ounces of freshly squeezed blood orange juice, and 1-2 teaspoons of rosemary syrup. Add ice to each glass, then 3 teaspoons (1 1/2 oz) of tonic water and stir to blend. Re-stir and you’re done.

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