Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Vodka Cocktails

Rosemary & Rhubarb

pink-hued rosemary & rhubarb cocktail in a coupe, garnished with an apple fan

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

Rhubarb is an underutilized ingredient in cocktails. The stalky fruit is often reserved for food, baked into pies or simmered into sauces for dessert. But its uniquely tart flavor is an ideal backbone for complex cocktails, like this one from bartending vet Charlotte Voisey.

The Rosemary & Rhubarb cocktail combines apple vodka with fresh lemon juice, rhubarb syrup and fresh rosemary. The apple vodka provides a fruity base for the drink, while the lemon and sweetened rhubarb syrup lend balance. The syrup requires an extra step, but it’s easy to make; you simply add one part rhubarb juice to four parts simple syrup to get a tasty, versatile ingredient that can be used in this drink and others.

When making the cocktail, throw those rosemary sprigs directly into the shaker. As the ingredients are hurtled around with the ice, the rosemary will infuse its flavors and aromas into the liquid. Double-strain the contents to ensure you don’t get any of the solid bits in your glass, and you’re ready to enjoy this tart and refreshing cocktail.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces Stoli Gala Apple vodka

  • 3/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed

  • 3/4 ounce rhubarb syrup*

  • 2 rosemary sprigs

  • Garnish: apple fan

Steps

  1. Add the vodka, lemon juice, rhubarb syrup and rosemary sprigs into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.

  2. Double-strain into a cocktail or coupe glass.

  3. Garnish with a skewered apple fan, resting the cocktail pick on the rim of the glass.

*Rhubarb syrup: Add one part rhubarb juice to four parts simple syrup and stir to combine. Will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 week.

Apple Fan Garnish

Stand a green apple upright, and cut a chunk from the side, being careful to avoid the core and seeds. Lie the apple chunk face down, then halve it so that the apple flesh is exposed. Cut five thin slices from the exposed side. Place the apple pieces together, pierce them with a cocktail pick about one third of the way from the bottom. Then fan them out and place in your drink, resting the cocktail pick on the rim of the glass.