Cranberry Rosemary Spritz
Cranberry juice, rosemary syrup, lime and soda over ice. A holiday-table mocktail that is tart and piny rather than sweet, and that looks the part in a wine glass.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Make the rosemary syrup ahead: simmer equal parts sugar and water with two rosemary sprigs for five minutes, cool, and strain.
Fill a large wine glass with ice.
Add the cranberry juice, rosemary syrup and lime juice and stir.
Top with cold soda, stir once, and garnish with a rosemary sprig and a few fresh cranberries.
A thoughtful finish
- Unsweetened cranberry juice is the recipe; the sweetened 'cranberry cocktail' sold in cartons is mostly sugar and you lose the tartness that makes the drink.
- Slap the rosemary sprig against your hand before it goes in; the oils are the aroma.
- Add an ounce and a half of gin and it is an excellent cocktail — gin and rosemary are old friends.
Common mistakes
- Sweetened cranberry juice plus the syrup. It becomes a soft drink.
- Boiling the rosemary for a long time; the syrup turns bitter and medicinal. Five minutes, then off the heat.
- Skipping the lime. The acid is what makes it a spritz rather than a juice.
A few good questions.
Is it sweet?
It should not be. Unsweetened cranberry juice is very tart, and the rosemary syrup brings it just to balance. Adjust the syrup by a quarter-ounce to taste.
Can I make it with alcohol?
Gin, vodka or a dry sparkling wine in place of the soda all work. The gin version is the best.
How long does rosemary syrup keep?
Two to three weeks in the fridge. Make a batch for the holidays.
Can I batch it for a party?
Mix the juice, syrup and lime in a pitcher ahead; add soda to each glass as you serve, or it goes flat.
Variations
- Blackberry Shrub Soda — A vinegar-based fruit soda.
- Hugo Spritz — Elderflower, prosecco and mint.
- Cape Codder — Vodka and cranberry — the spirited relative.
- Virgin Paloma — Grapefruit, lime and soda.
Where it comes from
c. 2010s · United States
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The cranberry-and-rosemary pairing belongs to the American Thanksgiving table and to the 2010s wave of serious alcohol-free drinks, when herb syrups and fresh juice replaced the sweet mixes that had defined the mocktail for decades. It has no inventor; it is a spritz template — a flavoured base, a sour, soda — with winter ingredients. A rosemary simple syrup is the only preparation, and it is worth making a batch of in December.
Sources
- Julia Bainbridge, Good Drinks, 2020 (book)
- Derek Brown, Mindful Mixology, 2022 (book)
- Difford's Guide, alcohol-free spritzes, 2018 (reference)
A little character in every sip.
A keeper?
Save this drink for your next cocktail hour.
Saved in this browser.The next great drink
might already be on your shelf.
Choose your bottles and mixers. Discover what you can make.