Rosemary cocktails are easy: pick a spirit, add citrus and a little rosemary syrup, and finish with a fresh sprig. The seven recipes below cover gin, vodka, tequila and bourbon, from a quick rosemary gimlet to a grapefruit paloma with its own homemade rosemary syrup. They work on a cool fall evening or at a summer table, and the bourbon ones suit the colder months best.
Why You Will Love This
Rosemary turns a simple cocktail into something you want to sip slowly. Its piney, slightly camphoraceous notes wake up citrus and soften strong spirits. These seven rosemary cocktail recipes run from bright and herbaceous to cozy, and each shows what a garden herb does for botanical drinks .
The Story Behind It
Rosemary has been perfuming Mediterranean kitchens and apothecaries for thousands of years, but it reached the cocktail glass more recently. Bartenders found out what herbalists already knew: rosemary ’s oils are potent and versatile. A single sprig can anchor a gin cocktail or play against the agave sweetness of tequila. It can go in as a syrup, a fresh sprig in the shaker, or a garnish, and each recipe below tells you which.
The Rosemary Syrup
Recipes 1 to 3 use a rosemary syrup. A bottled rosemary syrup works (these amounts were written for Bitter Ex rosemary syrup), or use the homemade syrup from recipe 7. Syrups differ in strength, so taste your first drink and adjust. Recipe 6 has its own syrup, made in the pot as part of the recipe.
1. Rosemary Gimlet
- 2 oz gin
- 1 oz lime juice
- 3/4 oz rosemary syrup
- Lime and a rosemary sprig, for garnish
Shake everything with ice and strain into a coupe. Garnish with lime and a rosemary sprig. The gimlet is the cleanest way to taste rosemary, since the glass holds only gin, lime and syrup.
2. Rosemary Greyhound
- 2 oz vodka
- 4 oz grapefruit juice
- 1 oz rosemary syrup
- Grapefruit wedge and a rosemary sprig, for garnish
Build the vodka, grapefruit juice and rosemary syrup over ice in an old fashioned glass. Stir, then garnish with a grapefruit wedge and a rosemary sprig. This is the easiest one to make for a group, since there is no shaking.
3. Rosemary 75
- 2 oz gin
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 3/4 oz rosemary syrup
- 3 to 4 oz sparkling wine
- Lemon wedge and a rosemary sprig, for garnish
Shake the gin, lemon juice and rosemary syrup with ice. Strain into a large champagne flute or wine glass and top with the sparkling wine. Add the wine after shaking so it stays bubbly. Garnish with a lemon wedge and a rosemary sprig.
4. Rosemary Old Fashioned
- 4 tsp simple syrup
- 3 dashes bitters
- 2 oz bourbon
- 1 ice cube
- Rosemary sprig, for garnish
Stir the simple syrup and bitters in a glass. Add the bourbon and an ice cube and stir again. Garnish with a rosemary sprig. The sprig does the work here. As you lift the glass, you smell the rosemary before you taste the bourbon, which makes it a good old fashioned for a fall night.
5. Empress Layover
- 1.5 oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1 oz elderflower cordial
- A few cucumber slices
- 1 rosemary sprig
- Soda water, to top
- Cucumber ribbon, for garnish
Muddle the cucumber in a shaker, then add the rosemary sprig, gin, lemon juice, elderflower cordial and ice, and shake. Strain into a chilled Collins glass over fresh ice, top with soda water and garnish with a cucumber ribbon. Cucumber and rosemary taste cool and a little wild together, a good pick when you want something light.
6. Grapefruit Rosemary Paloma
Rosemary syrup: Combine 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup rosemary leaves in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves, and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and steep for 30 minutes. Strain, discard the leaves and let the syrup cool. This makes about 1 1/2 cups, plenty for many drinks, and it keeps in the refrigerator.
For one drink:
- 1.5 oz tequila
- 3 oz fresh grapefruit juice
- 1 tablespoon cooled rosemary syrup
- 1 oz seltzer, or as needed
- Ice
- Grapefruit and rosemary, for garnish
Stir the tequila, grapefruit juice and syrup in a glass with ice. Add the seltzer, then garnish with grapefruit and a rosemary sprig. Grapefruit and rosemary are why this one made the list. Bitter, piney and bright, all at once.
7. Lemon Bourbon Rosemary
Rosemary syrup: Gently bruise 2 large rosemary sprigs. Heat them with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Take it off the heat and steep for 10 minutes. Remove the rosemary and chill until completely cool. This makes about 2/3 cup.
For one drink:
- 2 oz bourbon
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1 oz rosemary syrup
- Ice
- Rosemary sprig, for garnish (optional)
Shake the bourbon, lemon juice and syrup with ice and strain over fresh ice in a double old fashioned glass. Garnish with a rosemary sprig if you like. Lemon keeps the bourbon bright and the syrup rounds it off. It’s the one I’d pour first on a chilly evening.
For a party, this makes four drinks with 8 oz bourbon, 4 oz lemon juice and 4 oz syrup. Shake it in portions if the full amount won’t fit your shaker.
Pick the Right One for the Night
For a quick drink, make the gimlet or the greyhound. For a toast, the rosemary 75. For a cozy fall night, the old fashioned or the lemon bourbon rosemary. For something cool and herbal, the Empress Layover, and for a grapefruit lover, the paloma.
For an alcohol-free single-glass rosemary route, see the rosemary grapefruit spritz . For a two-serving pitcher with rosemary syrup and a grapefruit base, see this rosemary grapefruit spritzer . For a different fresh-herb sour, use the basil gin smash . The smoky cocktail collection is another good stop if you like bold, cozy drinks.
