This sparkling concord grape and rosemary cocktail is delightfully effervescent and mixed with an incredibly simple rosemary syrup! An enchanting, refreshing gin cocktail for chilly autumn evenings, and a perfect signature for elegant cocktail parties.
I love elegance at Halloween. It’s fun to get silly and oogidy-boogidy with decorations and even serve a few creepy-crawly appetizers, but I personally like my spookiness with an air of sophistication.
What can I say, I was quite gothic growing up, and always appreciated a corseted, lacy, Victorian interpretation of Halloween. I still do. And cocktails like this Autumn Twilight are exactly what I imagined I would be drinking as a grownup at Halloween.
For perfectly seasonal autumn cocktail party pairings, I would serve this cocktail with these delicious skirt steak appetizers with concord grape reduction and blistered shishito peppers. Perhaps even a gorgeous Halloween appetizer centerpiece if you didn’t want to pass appetizers.
And if you wanted to have a little fun, these spooky deviled eyeballs or adorable Halloween “deviled” deviled eggs always inspire a giggle from guests.
How to Make This Cocktail – Step by Step
1. Mince rosemary leaves from 1-2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary – yielding about 2 tsp. minced rosemary.
2. In a small saucepan, add ¼ cup white granulated sugar and ¼ cup water. Simmer over LOW heat until sugar is dissolved, swirling in the pan for about 1-2 minutes.
3. Once dissolved, add minced rosemary, and bring to a low boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 20 minutes (an hour if you want your cocktail more rosemary-forward). Strain rosemary out of the syrup and set aside.
4. Add ½ oz. fresh lime juice to a shaker and muddle 6 large concord grapes. Add 4 oz. gin and ½ oz. rosemary syrup. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain over a mesh cocktail strainer, add 2 oz. seltzer and serve.
Note: Syrup will make enough for 4 cocktails.
Just a Tip
If you want your cocktails to be more rosemary-forward, allow the minced rosemary to steep in the simple syrup for a hour before mixing into your cocktail
I hope you love this sparkling rosemary cocktail as much as I do!
The “Autumn Twilight” Grape & Rosemary Cocktail
Equipment
- sharp knife and cutting board
- cocktail shaker
- muddler
- mesh cocktail strainer
Ingredients
For Rosemary Simple Syrup
- 2 tsp. fresh rosemary – 1 to 2 sprigs minced
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
For The Cocktail
- 4 oz. gin
- ½ oz. fresh lime juice
- ½ oz. rosemary syrup
- 6 concord grapes – large
- 2 oz. seltzer – a splash
Instructions
To Make Rosemary Simple Syrup
- Mince rosemary leaves from 1-2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary – yielding about 2 tsp. minced rosemary. In a small saucepan, add ¼ cup white granulated sugar and ¼ cup water.
- Simmer over LOW heat until sugar is dissolved, swirling in the pan for about 1-2 minutes. Once dissolved, add minced rosemary, and bring to a low boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Strain rosemary out of the syrup and set aside.
To Make the Cocktail
- Add ½ oz. fresh lime juice to a shaker and muddle 6 large concord grapes. Add 4 oz. gin and ½ oz. rosemary syrup. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain over a mesh cocktail strainer, add 2 oz. seltzer and serve.
- Garnish with tiny champagne grapes and/or a sprig of rosemary.
Alessandra
Hi there, do you think vodka instead of gin will works as well? Thanks in advance!
Genevieve Morrison
Hummm. I haven’t made it with vodka, myself, so I can’t say how it would taste. But I’d say give it a try and let me know! I imagine it would be just as tasty.
Tony Daughtry
I love Gin, and whenever I make a cocktail with Gin, I get asked, uhh I don’t like Gin, can you make with Vodka? I usually say no, because Vodka is essentially flavorless, where Gin offers so many botanicals in addition to Juniper berries. I may substitute a new World Gin instead of London Dry.. they usually become Gin drinkers afterwards.