This drink first appeared somewhere in my various social media feeds - I have no idea where now - and it intrigued me. I did some searching and found it on serious eats. I was fascinated by all of the various pieces - the charred lemons, rosemary, sparkling wine, and the herbaceous gin - so much so that I found myself charring lemons in the snow just before New Years.
The effort was worth it and this was a wonderful addition to our New Year's Eve!
This was one of the more complex drinks I have ever made but given that it was for a celebratory evening it was worth it!
Charred Lemon Gin Sparkler
For the charred lemon juice:
12 lemons, halved
For gin rosemary mixer:
8 (5-inch) sprigs of rosemary, cut in half
6 tablespoons sugar
2 cups gin, such as St. George Botanivore
1 cup charred lemon juice
For each cocktail:
1/4 cup gin rosemary mixer
2 tablespoons sparkling wine
Ice
Rosemary sprig for garnish
For the charred lemon juice: Preheat a well seasoned cast iron or stainless steel skillet over high heat. Add lemon halves cut side down and cook until well charred, about about 2 minutes. Let cool then juice, straining out seeds.
For gin rosemary mixer: In a pitcher or quart jar, combine the rosemary and sugar, bruising it with the back of a wooden spoon until you can smell the rosemary. Add the gin and lemon juice and stir to dissolve the sugar. Refrigerate, removing the rosemary sprigs after one hour.
For each cocktail: Fill a glass with ice. Pour in gin rosemary mixer through a fine-mesh strainer. Top with sparkling wine. Stir once. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary and serve.
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