Herb & floral syrup
Rosemary Simple Syrup
Piney, warm and sturdy. A woody herb that loves the heat.
- 37 min total
- 1½ cups350 ml
- Keeps 2 weeks
Quick answer
Rosemary simple syrup is 1:1 sugar syrup steeped with fresh rosemary. Dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water, add 3 fresh sprigs, steep off the heat for 30 minutes, then strain. It keeps 2 weeks in the fridge.
Unlike mint or basil, rosemary is tough enough to steep hot. Its needles hold their flavor and color, so there's no blanching or blending. The only real decision is time: 15 minutes gives a gentle herbal note, 30 a clear piney hit, and past an hour it starts to taste like pine-scented floor cleaner.
It's the most versatile of the herb syrups, as happy with grapefruit and gin in July as with cranberry and bourbon in December.
Tastespineyresinouslemony
The recipe
Rosemary Simple Syrup
Ingredients for 1½ cups350 ml
You’ll need: small saucepan, fine-mesh strainer, swing-top bottle, shaker, jiggersmall saucepan, fine-mesh strainer, swing-top bottle, shaker, jigger
Method
-
Dissolve
Warm the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until completely clear, about 3 minutes.
1 cup200 g granulated sugar1 cup240 ml water
-
Add the rosemary
Roll the sprigs between your palms to bruise them, then drop them into the syrup with the lemon peel, if using. Bring it to the barest simmer for 1 minute, then take it off the heat.
3 fresh rosemary sprigs1 strip of lemon peel
-
Steep
Cover and steep for 30 minutes. Taste at 15 minutes and pull the sprigs as soon as the syrup tastes clearly of rosemary but not bitter.
-
Strain and bottle
Remove the sprigs, strain through a fine-mesh strainer to catch stray needles, cool and bottle. Refrigerate.
Storage. Keep it in a sealed bottle in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It freezes well in ice-cube trays for up to 3 months. Throw it out if it turns cloudy or smells off.
Per 1 tbsp (15 ml): about 33 kcal, 8.6 g sugar (estimate).
How to use it
Rosemary greyhound
2 oz (60 ml) gin or vodka, 3 oz (90 ml) fresh grapefruit juice and ½ oz (15 ml) rosemary syrup over ice.
Rosemary gin sour
2 oz (60 ml) gin, ¾ oz (22 ml) lemon juice and ¾ oz (22 ml) rosemary syrup, shaken hard and strained.
Rosemary Old Fashioned
2 oz (60 ml) bourbon, ¼ oz (7 ml) rosemary syrup and 2 dashes orange bitters, stirred over a big cube.
Rosemary lemonade
1 part rosemary syrup, 1 part lemon juice and 4 parts cold water.
Holiday spritz
½ oz (15 ml) rosemary syrup and 2 oz (60 ml) cranberry juice, topped with sparkling wine or soda water.
Gear for this recipe
Mixology & Craft 16-Piece Cocktail Shaker Set
Shaker, double jigger, bar spoon, tongs and more in one stainless kit: everything needed to put your syrups to work.
Best for Starting a home bar
OXO SteeL Muddler
Best for Mojitos, smashes and herb syrups
Otis Classic 16 oz Swing-Top Glass Bottles (6-pack)
Best for Storing and gifting any syrup
Ball Wide Mouth 16 oz Pint Mason Jars (12-pack)
Best for Fruit and herb infusions
More gear for this recipe (3)
Cuisinart Fine Mesh Stainless Strainers (set of 3)
Best for Every infused or fruit syrup
OXO SteeL Angled Measuring Jigger
Best for Measuring syrup into drinks
Cuisinart Chef's Classic 1.5 qt Stainless Saucepan with Lid
Best for Every stovetop syrup
Tips for the best batch
- Use fresh rosemary. Dried needles are hard to strain out and taste dusty and medicinal. If you have to use dried, use 1 tbsp and strain it through cheesecloth.
- Don't boil the sprigs or leave them in overnight. Both pull out bitter, turpentine-like notes.
- Keep the sprigs whole. They're easier to fish out than loose needles and give a cleaner syrup.
- Save a sprig for garnish. Holding it over a flame until it smokes makes the drink smell amazing.
Variations
Rosemary honey
Swap the sugar for honey stirred in off the heat. It's softer and rounder, and lovely in a gin sour or hot toddy.
Smoked rosemary
Char the sprigs briefly over a gas flame or with a torch before steeping for a campfire note that suits bourbon and mezcal.
Rosemary grapefruit
Add 3 wide strips of grapefruit peel with the rosemary for a ready-made greyhound or paloma syrup.
Cranberry rosemary
Simmer 100 g of fresh cranberries in the syrup until they pop, then steep the rosemary. It turns ruby red and suits holiday spritzes.
Questions people ask
How long should rosemary steep in simple syrup?
15–30 minutes off the heat for most uses, or up to 1 hour for a strong syrup. Longer than that and it turns bitter.
Can I use dried rosemary for simple syrup?
You can, but it's not as good. Use 1 tablespoon and strain through cheesecloth, because dried needles are hard to remove and taste more medicinal than fresh.
How long does rosemary simple syrup last?
About 2 weeks in a sealed container in the fridge, or 3 months frozen.
What drinks use rosemary syrup?
It's great with gin and grapefruit (greyhound), in gin or whiskey sours, in lemonade, and with cranberry in holiday cocktails and spritzes.
Why is my rosemary syrup bitter?
It was boiled, steeped too long, or had too many sprigs. Dilute it with plain simple syrup to rescue it.