Blood Orange Ginger Cocktail with a Rosemary Simple Syrup

Creating fun and delicious cocktails and mocktails is one of my favorite ways to create recipes. There isn’t as much science to it as there is in baking, but you do need to get your portions right. It’s fun to play with flavors, specialty alcohols, making simple syrups, and of course, the garnish. I do love a good garnish. Keep reading to see how to create this delicious cocktail, other fun cocktails to try, and of course all the tricks and tips I can think of to help you out along the way.

And to learn how to style this drink to perfection, check out my Food Styling Guide here.

This recipe I created for Lauren Conrad Co. at the beginning of the 2020 quarantine and hope it brought some happiness to people then and happiness to you now. These were also made for these gorgeous glasses, which are no longer available unfortunately. So below are some of my favorite iridescent glasses to check out instead.

• Iridescent Stemless Champagne Flutes Set of 4
• Iridescent Stemless Wine Glasses Set of 4
• Lustered Wine Glasses, Set of 4

Cocktail Recipes for Four Servings

This cocktail makes four servings. However, it can be broken down for a single serving. You just take the recipe calculate (when you go to print the recipe) and it will do all the calculations for you. It can also be multiplied to make a larger batch. Just enter in however many cocktails you’d like to make (for a batch, you probably can keep the simple syrup at the original recipe size).

There will also be a bit of the simple syrup left over that you can use for other drinks or recipes as well. Store that extra simple syrup in an airtight container like a mason jar and stick it in the fridge for up to a few weeks.

Can you store cocktails?

Sure. You can drink one or two of the cocktails and store the rest for later. Do not add the ice to the servings you plan on saving. And if you are making mocktails, hold off on adding in the sparkling water. Otherwise the water will lose its bubbles. The soda might lose some bubbles as well, but I always think it’s better to safe what you can if needed.  

I suggest putting it in something like a tightly sealed jar. Or something like a suction Tupperware. I use Zwilling Fresh and Save. You can then place this into your refrigerator. I would suggest to drink it within a few days. Just so the bubbles aren’t all lost (as mentioned above).

How to Garnish a Cocktail Glass?

One of my favorite ways to garnish is to add a pretty garnish is to add in an herb that’s been used in the cocktail. Here we added in extra rosemary to the glasses. Or you can add in some fruit that’s found in the recipe. Either add it directly into the glass or use a cocktail pick to set it inside or on the rim of the glass. And my absolute favorite way is to add edible flowers. You’ll see that very often in my recipes and photos. I love to get these from Gourmet Sweet Botanicals. Always make sure you are using clean, edible flowers and herbs when you go to garnish. Nothing worse than getting sick from a pretty garnish.

What Herb Goes with Blood Orange?

Blood orange goes with a lot of herbs, but in this recipe, I used rosemary. I think you could also swap out the rosemary for mint or thyme and it would be just as delicious. You can easily swap those into your simple syrup recipe.

Another alternative to a simple syrup would be to muddle these herbs into the drink. You simply add the herb, a bit of the drink mix, and take a muddler (or a wooden or metal spoon) and mush the herbs into the liquid. You usually can get a bit more flavor by adding a pinch of sugar on the herbs as well. Add remaining liquid.

Best Blood Orange Italian Soda

I think everyone will have their own opinion of the best, but here are a few of my favorites. Sanpellegrino, Trader Joe’s, World Market. I think these are all great brands to use for this recipe. And something like the Sanpellegrino come in individual cans so you can use the extras at a later date.

How to Make Rosemary Simple Syrup

Rosemary Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 sprig of rosemary

Directions:

1. Place sugar into a small saucepan, cover with water. Heat on a medium-low heat until sugar has dissolved.
2. Add rosemary and cover with a lid, let it sit on the heat for 3-4 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and place it into a clean airtight container. Can be stored in the refrigerator.

How to Make a Blood Orange Cocktail

Blood Orange Ginger Cocktail

Makes 4 Drinks

Ingredients:

• 20 ounces Ginger Beer
• 16 ounces Blood Orange Italian Soda
• 12 ounces vodka
• 4 ounces simple syrup
• 4 sprigs of rosemary
• Ice

Directions:

1. Place ginger beer, Italian soda, vodka, and simple syrup into a large carafe. Stir until well mixed.
2. Put one sprig and a couple cubes of ice into 4 glasses. Pour the cocktail into each glass. Serve and enjoy!

FAQs

Other Recipes to Try

• Frozen Pineapple Margarita
• Peach Sangria
• Drink Recipes