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This vibrant, refreshing, and festive raspberry cocktail is perfect for the holiday season! Sweetened with a homemade syrup made from mashed raspberries, elderflower liqueur, and muddled rosemary, this vodka (or gin!) drink is topped off with a champagne floater. Great for Thanksgiving dinner or your next Christmas party!
Before You Get Started
- For mixed drinks like this raspberry cocktail, you don’t need to reach for any top shelf vodka or gin. Save those pricy boozes for drinks where they’re the star and not supporting cast! I’d recommend Fords Gin or Ketel One vodka here, but as long as you use something you enjoy the flavor of, you’ll be fine.
How to Make This Recipe
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Muddle the rosemary.
Place the rosemary needles in a small bowl and use a muddler to press the herbs against the bottom or side of the bowl. Twist the muddler in one direction and repeat, pressing the herbs just until they release fragrant oil. Be gentle, though – too much pressure will make them release a bitter-tasting chlorophyll.
If you don’t have an actual muddler tool, you can use the back or the end of a wooden spoon, or a pestle from a mortar and pestle.
Make the Syrup.
Transfer the muddled rosemary needles and the oil they released to the saucepan, then add the rest of syrup ingredients. Stir everything together and bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low and mash the raspberries with a potato masher.
Simmer & Strain.
After you’ve mashed the raspberries, let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes, then move the saucepan from the heat and let the syrup mixture cool completely. Once it’s cooled, pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, catching all of the raspberry seeds and rosemary needles. You don’t want those in your syrup!
Mix Your Drink.
Combine gin or vodka, elderflower liqueur, some of that fresh raspberry-rosemary syrup, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake everything really well, then strain the liquid into a glass. With or without fresh ice, up to you! Add a floater of champagne and a floater of soda water, then garnish and enjoy!
What I Love About This Recipe
- This raspberry cocktail is so easy to make, even with the homemade syrup! Plus, the prepared syrup will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge, so you can have some on hand to make an evening cocktail even more easily.
- There’s a ton of delicious flavor in this cocktail. Woodsy rosemary, fruity raspberry, floral elderflower, the sweetness of the syrup. Everything is balanced perfectly, and the drink beautifully festive, too.
- Frozen raspberries work so well here – no need to track down some out-of-season fresh ones. Just defrost the frozen berries overnight in the fridge first!
Raspberry Cocktails with Rosemary
Equipment
- Small bowl
- Muddler
- Small saucepan
- Potato masher
- Fine mesh sieve or nut-milk bag
- Cocktail shaker
Ingredients
For the Raspberry-Rosemary Syrup (Makes Enough for 6–8 Cocktails)
- 1 tablespoon rosemary needles
- 1 ยฝ cups frozen raspberries defrosted
- juice of 1 lemon approximately 2 tablespoons
- 5 tablespoons sugar ยผ cup + 1 tablespoon
- ยพ cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the Cocktail (Makes Enough for 1 Cocktail)
- 1 ยฝ ounces vodka or gin
- ยฝ ounce St. Germaine elderflower liqueur
- 1 ยฝ ounces raspberry-rosemary syrup made from ingredients above
- ice
- 1 tablespoon soda water
- 1 tablespoon champagne
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- ice
- rosemary sprigs
- raspberries
Instructions
For the Syrup (Makes Enough for 6–8 Cocktails)
- Add 1 tablespoon rosemary needles to small bowl. Muddle rosemary needles with muddler or back of wooden spoon to release oils.
- Place small saucepan on stovetop over high heat. Add muddled rosemary needles, 1 ยฝ cups frozen raspberries, juice of 1 lemon, 5 tablespoons sugar, ยพ cup water, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch to saucepan. Stir to incorporate, then bring mixture to rolling boil.
- When mixture begins to boil, immediately reduce heat under saucepan to low.
- Use potato masher to mash raspberries completely, then stir mixture and simmer 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, remove saucepan from heat and set aside. Let mixture cool completely.
- Once cooled, pour mixture through fine-mesh strainer or nut-milk bag and into airtight container. Use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Cocktail (Makes Enough for 1 Cocktail)
- Add 1 ยฝ ounces vodka (or gin), ยฝ ounce St. Germaine elderflower liqueur, 1 ยฝ ounces raspberry-rosemary syrup, and ice to cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously.
- Strain cocktail into glass, with or without ice. Add 1 tablespoon soda water and stir to incorporate into drink. Top cocktail with 1 tablespoon champagnethen garnish with rosemary sprigs and raspberries if desired. Serve immediately.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag @40aprons on Instagram and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!
More Holiday Recipes We Love
- Cranberry Margarita
- Boursin Mashed Potatoeshttps://easyhealthyrecipes.com/boursin-mashed-potatoes/
- Stuffed Artichokes
- Christmas Confetti Cookies
- Elderberry Tonic
- One-Pan Cranberry Rosemary Chicken
- Apple Cider Mimosas
- Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies
- Cranberry-Elderflower Champagne Sparkler
- Champagne Jello Shots
- Easy Cranberry Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Apple Cider Sangria
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I don’t see the amounts of the ingredients….where do I find them?
The amounts are listed in the recipe card. It’s just above the comment box!
Gorgeous drink! Happy New Year Cheryl!
These look amazing! I can’t wait to make them. Great looking photo’s. Happy New Year!