Cranberry Rosemary Spritz Mocktail

Before you start

This is an original holiday spritz built around a quick homemade cranberry-rosemary syrup. Simmering whole cranberries with sugar, water and a rosemary sprig gives a bright red syrup with the berries' natural tartness and a piney, herbal finish. Lime adds sharpness, and soda or dry sparkling wine stretches it into a long, fizzy drink.

Cranberries are naturally very sour, so the syrup carries most of the sweetness. Do not cook the berries for too long, or the syrup turns jammy. Strain it gently without pressing hard, which keeps it clear, and let it cool completely before mixing.

Ingredients

• Cranberry rosemary syrup150 g (1½ cups) fresh or frozen cranberries
• 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
• 180 ml (¾ cup) water
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary — about 10 cm each
• Per drink40 ml (1⅓ oz) cranberry rosemary syrup
• 15 ml (½ oz) fresh lime juice
• 150 ml (5 oz) soda water or dry non-alcoholic sparkling wine — chilled
• Garnish1 sprig and a few rosemary and fresh cranberries

Method

1. Combine the cranberries, sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
2. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until most cranberries have popped and the liquid is bright red. Do not let it boil hard or thicken like jam.
3. Remove from the heat, add the rosemary sprigs and let steep for 15 minutes. Taste; remove the rosemary sooner if the pine flavor is getting strong.
4. Strain through a fine strainer into a jar without pressing hard on the berries, so the syrup stays clear. Cool to room temperature, about 25 minutes.
5. For each drink, fill a glass with ice. Add 40 ml syrup and 15 ml lime juice and stir.
6. Top with 150 ml soda water or sparkling wine, lift once with a spoon, and garnish with a rosemary sprig and a few cranberries.

Tips for success

• Frozen cranberries work just as well as fresh and are easier to find outside the holiday season.
• For sugared cranberries, roll damp berries in sugar and let them dry on a rack for an hour. They look frosted in the glass.
• Hold the rosemary garnish over a flame for a second for a smoky aroma. Keep it away from your face and hair.

Substitutions

Soda water

Ginger ale adds warmth and sweetness; reduce the syrup to 30 ml. Tonic water adds a bitter edge that suits adults.

Rosemary

Thyme gives a softer, more lemony herb flavor; a cinnamon stick makes a warmer, spicier syrup.

Lime juice

Orange juice is sweeter and more festive. Use 20 ml and slightly less syrup.

Variations

Pitcher spritz

Combine 240 ml syrup and 90 ml lime juice in a pitcher, chill, then add 900 ml soda water and ice just before serving.

Cranberry orange spritz

Add a strip of orange peel to the syrup with the rosemary and garnish with an orange wheel.

Troubleshooting

The syrup is thick and jammy

It cooked too long. Thin it with 2 to 3 tbsp hot water and cook the next batch only until the berries pop.

The rosemary flavor is overpowering

Steep it for only 5 to 10 minutes, tasting as you go, and remove the sprigs as soon as the flavor is noticeable.

The drink is too tart

Add 10 ml more syrup or reduce the lime juice. Cranberries vary in sourness from batch to batch.

Storage

Refrigerate the syrup in a sealed jar and use within 2 weeks; discard if cloudy, fizzy or moldy. Sugared cranberries keep at room temperature for 1 day. Serve topped drinks immediately.