Orange Blast

Brecht

8 years ago

Fresh orange juice, white rum and a homemade rosemary syrup make a tall, sunny drink that tastes like a holiday. It’s our go-to cocktail for summer evenings.

Rosemary syrup: the secret ingredient

Rosemary and orange are a classic pair. Steeping a couple of sprigs in a simple sugar syrup gives the drink a piney, herbal note that keeps it from tasting like plain juice. The syrup takes five minutes on the stove, and the batch makes enough for four drinks.

Squeeze your own juice

Fresh orange juice is worth the effort here. One large orange gives you about three ounces, exactly what you need for one glass. A splash of lime juice and a couple of dashes of orange bitters balance the sweetness.

Make it your own

Swap the white rum for gin or tequila.
Leave out the rum and add more soda water for an alcohol-free version.
Making drinks for a crowd? Mix the rum, juices and syrup in a pitcher and add the soda water to each glass.

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Orange Blast

A tall rum and orange highball with homemade rosemary syrup and a splash of soda. Bright, herbal and not too sweet.

Difficulty Easy

Course Cocktail

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Cooling Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings cocktail

Calories 227kcal

Author Brecht

Equipment

Small saucepan
Cocktail shaker
Copa glass or a large wine glass

Ingredients

Rosemary syrup

¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 sprigs rosemary

Cocktail

2 oz white rum
3 oz orange juice freshly squeezed, from 1 orange
½ oz lime juice
2 dashes orange bitters
2 oz soda water chilled
ice

Garnish

1 slice orange
1 sprig rosemary

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Rosemary syrup

Bring 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water and 2 sprigs rosemary to a simmer in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and let the rosemary steep while the syrup cools, at least 20 minutes. Remove the rosemary. This makes enough syrup for about 4 cocktails.

The syrup keeps for 2 weeks in a jar in the fridge. Make it ahead and the cocktail takes 2 minutes.

Cocktail

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add 2 oz white rum, 3 oz orange juice, 1/2 oz lime juice, 3/4 oz of the rosemary syrup and 2 dashes orange bitters. Shake hard for 15 seconds.
Strain into a copa glass filled with fresh ice and top with 2 oz soda water.
Clap 1 sprig rosemary between your hands to release its aroma and tuck it into the glass with 1 slice orange.

Notes

For a non-alcoholic version, leave out the rum and top the glass with extra soda water.

Blood oranges, when they are in season, turn this into a ruby-red drink.

Nutrition