Fruity Rosemary Spritzer

Hot summer days with antsy kids sometimes require a bit of creativity. My son Frederick wanted to work on a new kitchen project but by mid-July we’ve made three dozen variations of lemonade and popsicles. I punted.

“Cut a fist-size amount of the tender tips of rosemary.”

He braved the hot sun and returned with a small bowl of fresh herbal goodness.

I chopped the rosemary up a bit and added two tablespoons to two cups of peaches, a bit of sugar and water. After it simmered for a bit, we blended it well and strained it removing most of the rosemary and used it as a “syrup” paired with seltzer water. It was a slightly sweet, refreshing beverage. In fact, it inspired me to start a rosemary extract so that in the future I can bypass the whole rosemary harvest and chopping part of the recipe and just add some rosemary extract to taste.

(For rosemary extract, simply fill a jar with rosemary and cover it completely with vodka or bourbon. Put it in a cool, dark place and give it a shake every day or two for a week. Let it sit for a month or longer and you have a homemade extract.)

Peach Rosemary Spritzer Recipe

• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
• 2 cups sliced peaches (or other fruit: experiment!)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup honey or sugar
• Sparkling water

Peach Rosemary Spritzer Instructions

1. Combine rosemary, peaches, and water to a sauce pan. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes.
2. Add sweetener and mix well so that it dissolves throughly.
3. Allow mixture to cool for easy handling.
4. Blend in a blender until smooth.
5. Strain mixture using a strainer or sieve.
6. Cool in the refrigerator as needed.

Use this syrup as a mixer along with your sparkling water, to taste. We used about 1/4 of the syrup to 3/4 water for a not-too-sweet but refreshing beverage.

If you like the concept, make an extract for a much-easier approach. You can add a bit of rosemary flavor to various fruity drinks for a fun change.