Use fresh rosemary to infuse this cranberry & gin cocktail for your holiday parties this year!

During the holidays I enjoy sipping a cocktail while I cook. Over the past few years I’ve grown especially fond of gin—botanical varieties work beautifully in winter drinks. A rosemary-infused gin cocktail pairs the herbal, piney notes of the herb with the tart sweetness of cranberries for a festive drink that feels seasonal and sophisticated.

After making cranberry sauce and a rosemary simple syrup, combining the two with a good gin felt like the obvious next step. This cocktail leans toward herbal rather than bright and citrusy, making it a cozy, aromatic choice for holiday gatherings or a quiet evening by the fire.

Cranberry Gin Cocktail with Rosemary Simple Syrup

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 3 oz gin

• 2 tablespoons cranberry sauce (homemade or store-bought)

• 3 oz rosemary simple syrup

• Club soda, to top

Method:

• In a cocktail shaker, combine the rosemary simple syrup, cranberry sauce, and gin.

• Add ice and shake vigorously until well chilled and the cranberry sauce has incorporated.

• Strain the mixture evenly into two glasses filled with ice.

• Top each glass with a splash of club soda for a light effervescence.

• Garnish with a sprig of rosemary or a pine needle stir stick and serve immediately.

Tips and variations:

• If fresh cranberry sauce isn’t available, substitute a good-quality cranberry jelly, red currant jelly, or a spoonful of tart berry jam—adjust sweetness to taste.

• For a drier cocktail, reduce the simple syrup slightly or use a drier gin.

• Make rosemary simple syrup by simmering equal parts water and sugar with several sprigs of fresh rosemary until the sugar dissolves; cool and strain.

• To make this a nonalcoholic mocktail, replace gin with a nonalcoholic botanical spirit or chilled herbal tea.

If cranberry sauce is out of season, you can substitute any type of jelly.