Rosemary Grapefruit Martini

I don’t post cocktails on this blog very often. I think there has been one true cocktail recipe on here, and that would be my Lemon Ginger Martini. Beyond that, I posted Cranberry Ginger Mulled Wine, which didn’t have much alcohol content left in it after mulling, although it does make a lovely warm winter drink. And perhaps you could count my Almond Milk Eggnog recipe, if you are the sort to add rum or whiskey to your eggnog. So this really counts as the second true cocktail recipe on ADIDAF. If you didn’t know me, or you were to judge purely on the frequency of my cocktail-posting behaviour, you might think I am not overly fond of cocktails. But oh, you would be wrong! I have a long-standing affection for the cocktail hour, there is something slightly magical about it after a long, hard day. And although my drink of choice is usually either a simple glass of red wine or a dry gin martini, sometimes I get it in my head to switch things up a bit.

This particular combination was inspired by a cocktail I saw on I’ll Have What She’s Having. Lynn’s blog has long been one of my favourites, and she and I have always been supportive of each others’ work. Her recipes are always sound, her writing is wonderful and her photography is very good. And she’s a lovely person, what I know of her, so I almost always make a point of checking out her latest post. Her Fresh Start Cocktail, a nod to the New Year, immediately caught my attention because I love both rosemary and grapefruit juice. And I don’t think I ever would have thought to put rosemary in a drink on my own. I started scheming to convert it into a martini almost the moment I saw it.

I made my version with Swerve, an erythritol based sweetener that is made to be as sweet as sugar. I like Swerve for a number of reasons, but one of its best qualities over other brands of erythritol, in my opinion, is that there is no funny cooling sensation. I made up the rosemary syrup first, and once again, I noted this advantage when I tasted the syrup. And the syrup was plenty sweet, even though I had reduced the amount of sweetener compared to Lynn’s version. Even if I was using sugar, I wouldn’t make this any sweeter. Now, if you are low carb and you are using erythritol to make this drink, do keep in mind that as the syrup cools, it will begin to crystallize and harden. Sugar stays in suspension but I have not found an erythritol product that will do so. So you will need to reheat the syrup a bit to liquify it when adding it to your cocktail shaker. But as it’s shaken over ice, it doesn’t effect the temperature of the end result.

Hope you enjoy. Bottoms up!

Rosemary Grapefruit Martini

Rosemary Syrup:
½ cup water
¼ cup erythritol (I used Swerve)
OR
¼ cup sugar
4 to 5 long sprigs of fresh rosemary

Martini:
¼ cup grapefruit juice
4 ounces gin (or vodka)
3 tablespoon rosemary syrup

2 sprigs rosemary for garnish

For the rosemary syrup, combine water, erythritol or sugar and rosemary sprigs in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool. (If using erythritol, you will find it begins to crystallize as it cools. You will need to rewarm a bit to liquify when making the cocktail, but as you shake it with ice, this won’t make much of a difference).

For the martini, fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add grapefruit juice, gin or vodka and rosemary syrup. Shake well. Pour into two chilled martini glasses and garnish with rosemary sprigs.

Serves 2.