Rosemary Grapefruit Spritz

Ingredients:

For the rosemary syrup

• ½ a cup of sugar

• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

• ½ teaspoon of kosher salt

• ½ cup of water

For the spritz

• 1 fresh sprig of rosemary

• 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar

• ¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika

• 3 ounces of grapefruit juice

• 3 ounces of grapefruit-flavored sparkling water

• Grapefruit wedge or slice for garnish

• Ice

Directions:

1. Start with making the rosemary syrup. Place a small saucepan over medium-high heat.

2. Add the sugar, rosemary sprigs, salt, and water into the saucepan. Bring to a simmer.

3. Once it reaches a simmer, bring the heat down to medium-low. Stir often until the sugar has fully dissolved. 

4. Cook the mixture for a couple of minutes and then take it off the heat and let it cool slightly.

5. Transfer the rosemary syrup to a container and refrigerate until it’s ready to be used.

6. To assemble the spritz, on a plate mix together the sugar and smoked paprika.

7. Use a grapefruit wedge to wet the rim of the glass. Then gently dip the rim in the sugar and paprika mixture. Make sure to evenly coat the whole rim.

8. Fill the glass with ice. Then add the grapefruit juice, sparkling water, and around ¾ ounces of rosemary syrup. Stir well until everything is incorporated.

9. Add a fresh rosemary sprig and a grapefruit slice or wedge to the glass for garnish.

Notes:

• The rosemary syrup can be kept in the fridge for a few days. You can make a larger batch of it in advance if you are having guests or hosting a party. Just double or triple the ingredients to create more syrup. 

• If you can’t find grapefruit-flavored sparkling water you can use any other flavor or sparkling water that you’d like such as orange, lemon, or lime. You can also experiment by using other flavors that are not based on citrus fruits such as raspberry, apple, strawberry, kiwi, coconut, passion fruit, or pear. 

• You can also switch out grapefruit for other types of citrus fruits such as mandarins, tangerines, pomelo, lemons, limes, oranges, and clementines. 

• Depending on your taste, smoked paprika can also be swapped out for other spices and ingredients such as cinnamon, celery salt, chili powder, brown sugar, or coconut flakes.