Rosemary Balsamic Oxymel + Mocktail Recipe
I love fancy bevs -- mocktails, cocktails, fancy coffee bevs. I love crafting the layers that go into making a drink feel special, that turn a drink into a moment.
To me, a fancy bev feels like an exhale - a moment of pure flavor, a moment of joyful levity. It's one moment that gives you a lift for a little bit.
Lately, those moments of joyful levity are hard to come by. The world is... well, you know; and life with a toddler doesn't leave much room for that "exhale" sensation.
Somehow, mocktails still feel within reach, an attainable treat in the evening. Yes, you can make them complex, but you can also make them so simple. (My current favorite: seltzer + Wild Tonic Syrup (below) + lime juice.)
I was excited to share one of my favorite mocktail recipes with Mountain Rose Herbs.
Admittedly, I created this first as a cocktail recipe, with gin, but don't worry -- that's included in the post ;)
This recipe works well both iced and hot, and the rosemary-balsamic syrup gives a rich burgundy color to the drink.
Even more exciting is the fact that Mountain Rose Herbs just launched a line of vinegars!
They've got an aged Balsamic vinegar, a Red Wine vinegar, a White, and an Apple Cider vinegar. As someone who typically buys organic store-brand vinegar, these really wowed me. The Balsamic, especially, is a perfect tart-sweet that is going to be wonderful for salad season.
And of course, these are stellar for making oxymels (my go-to mocktail ingredient)!
If you're local to me and want to take a mocktail-making class, I'm offering a few at Grounds for Sculpture this year (see below).
In the meantime, enjoy this recipe!
Herbal Products on my mind...
Mountain Rose Herbs now sells Monarda! This isn't technically news -- it happened in the fall. But I just realized it this week. (Also, it's currently sold out. Sorry.) Monarda is one of my favorite herbs. It's a medicinally potent native plant that's easy to grow in a garden. But it can be hard to find commercially. Thus my excitement.
Bluestem Botanical's Wild Tonic Syrup is my new favorite herbal product. Firstly, it's DELICIOUS. It's exactly what I want in a cocktail/mocktail mixer. Secondly, it's medicinally potent and versatile. I've used it to help calm a friend's nausea and quell my daughter's fever.
My friend created this collection of Cannabis Coloring Books -- they're gorgeous, and so fun. If Cannabis is your herb and you like coloring, this is for you.
