WHB - Vodka Rosemary Lemonade Fizz

This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging - one of the longest running food blog 'events' on the web. I've missed the past few weeks - being on the road is not conducive to cooking much! This week it is being hosted by Katie from Eat This. Weekend Herb Blogging was created by Kalyn and is now organized by Haalo, WHB is now in its 4th successful year of showcasing every week delicious (and often unusal) foods prepared using herbs, fruits and vegetables by bloggers around the world.

More on rosemary after the post . . .

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It has been awhile since I featured a drink recipe so I need to do something about that. I first read about this while trolling the food blog world on the weekend. When I read the descriptions I was immediately intrigued.

The drink is essentially a rosemary infused sparkly lemonade (vodka optional, but come on...), and unlike many mixed drink recipes, I actually had all of the ingredients on hand. Score! And it actually tastes good - not that it's hard for any version of lemonade to taste good. Double win!

Everyone LOVED it. I think that mom was hinting away that she'd like a second glass but we held strong knowing that if she had had a second we'd have a house guest for the night! *smile*

We all agreed that this would a the perfect drink for a hot summer's day - refreshing and perfect for the warm weather we hope we'll see again.

Vodka Rosemary Lemonade Fizz

Gourmet Magazine (May 2009)

Active time: 10 min
Total time: 1 1/4 hr

Ingredients

    1 cup fresh lemon juice
    1 cup sugar
    2 (8-inch) rosemary sprigs
    1/2 cup vodka
    Chilled club soda or seltzer
    Garnish: 8 (3-inch) rosemary sprigs

Preparation

Bring lemon juice, sugar, and rosemary to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Discard rosemary sprigs.

Fill 8 (8-ounces) glasses halfway with ice. Divide syrup (about 2 tablespoons each) among glasses and add vodka (1 tablespoon each). Top off with club soda.

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A member of the mint family, Rosemary is an evergreen shrub also related to basil, marjoram, and oregano. It is usually found growing by the ocean, and its latin name equates to "dew of the sea."

Some rosemary plants grow up to 6 feet tall or more, but standard varieties are usually around 3 feet and bushy. The small, gray-green leaves look similar to small pine needles and have a bittersweet, lemony, slightly piney flavor. Small flowers range from white to pale blue to dark blue, usually flowering in late spring.

Usage of rosemary dates back to 500 BC, when it was used as a culinary and medicinal herb by the ancient Greeks and Romans. It is still a popular medicinal herb today.

Most commercially-used, dried rosemary comes to us from Spain, France, and Morocco. However, it is easy to grow your own in temperate climates.

In 1987, researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey patented a food preservative derived from rosemary. The chemical, called rosmaridiphenol, is a very stable antioxidant useful in cosmetics and plastic food packaging.

Rosemary is indeed a versatile, aromatic herb. It is used in a wide variety of dishes, including fruit salads, soups, vegetables, meats (especially lamb), fish, eggs, stuffings,dressings, and even desserts (time to add DRINKS to this list!). It is also used to scent cosmetics and perfumes, in insect repellants, and has medicinal uses. You will find rosemary a delightful herb in both savory and sweet recipes.

If you have to choose just one herb to help you avoid several different types of cancer, rosemary may be it. Rosemary can actually help to prevent carcinogens that you ingest from binding with your DNA. This can help to prevent the formation of tumors and the eventual development of cancer.

Although human studies have not yet been conducted, preliminary animal studies have shown amazing potential for this common herb. You don’t need to buy any special form of rosemary to get these benefits; simply use rosemary liberally in your cooking along with other beneficial herbs like parsley, oregano, onion, garlic, or thyme.

Comments

[AllQuickEasyRecipes.com]

Seems to be an easy recipe, will try soon. Appreciate for the sharing

regards,
http://www.allquickeasyrecipes.com

[Anne]

Rosemary?? Would never have thought of that in a lemonade. I'm intrigued! Thanks Jerry, I will have to try this recipe. I can see myself now, floating around in the pool with a glass in hand (if the weather ever cooperates, that is...brrr, it's been chilly lately!)

[Jerry]

Thanks for popping by 'all'.

Anne - it gets even better when the syrup sits int he fridge. MMMMM We finished it off last night. YUM

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