Blueberry Rosemary Old Fashioned Mocktail

We have a more than a few reasons to celebrate in the next few weeks! The weeks surrounding the holidays have a way of filling up with holiday parties, concerts, and family traditions. My birthday also happens to fall during this busy season, and this year I am turning 30! With so much to celebrate between now and January 1st, I asked my hobbyist bartender husband to help me develop a few special “mocktail” recipes to share with my fellow pregnant friends and all of you.

Since holiday parties and New Year’s Eve celebrations often go hand-in-hand with alcoholic beverages, it can be hard when you’re feeling like you’re “missing out” when you are abstaining from alcohol for one reason or another. The festive mocktail recipes I’m sharing this week, including this Blueberry Rosemary “Old Fashioned”, incorporate the seasonal flavors we love into a balanced beverage that isn’t overly sweet. Don’t forget to check out the other two drinks that we created, a Holiday Spice Fermented Fizz and a Apple Cider Cranberry Punch.

Blueberry Rosemary Old Fashioned Mocktail

Ingredients:

  • 3 oz. sparkling water

  • 1 Tbsp muddled blueberries (frozen and thawed wild blueberries work best)

  • 1 oz Vanilla Rosemary Syrup (see ingredients below)

  • Sprig of Rosemary for garnish

  • Large cube for serving

Directions:

  1. Add syrup and berries and muddle in a mixing glass.

  2. Add the sparkling water and ice to the mixing glass and stir to incorporate.

  3. Strain (using a julep strainer or sieve) into an old fashioned glass over a large ice cube

  4. Garnish with a rosemary sprig and serve cold.

Ingredients for Vanilla Rosemary Syrup (makes roughly 1.5 cups):

  • 1 cup filtered water

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 4 sprigs of rosemary

Directions for Simple Syrup:

  1. For syrup, mix water, sugar and vanilla extract in a sauce pan and bring to a boil on the stove, stirring often until sugar is fully dissolved.

  2. Once boiling and sugar is dissolved, turn off burner and add rosemary sprigs.

  3. Let cool and steep overnight (the longer you let it steep the stronger the flavor of rosemary).

  4. Transfer to a glass jar for storing (keeps in the fridge for a few weeks).

DrinksEmily JohnsonDrinks, MocktailsComment