Rosemary gimlet

Cutting back an unruly rosemary bush that was over-reaching itself in the garden has left me with an abundance of fresh rosemary. Besides incorporating it into our last few meals, I made a bottle of rosemary syrup to drizzle over apple-based desserts, and use to glaze my next rosemary loaf cake.

I then got the idea of making a rosemary-based cocktail… An internet search turned up this rosemary gimlet on David Lebowitz’s website.

Having tried it his way, I decided that I prefer mine with a higher proportion of lime juice and rosemary syrup to gin. That way you can have two…;-)

Rosemary gimlet
(makes 1)

For the rosemary syrup:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 3 Tb fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

For the gimlet:

• 2 Tb rosemary syrup
• 2 Tb fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup gin

1. To make the rosemary syrup, combine the water, caster sugar and rosemary in a small pot. Heat over a medium flame, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Leave to cool, then strain to remove the rosemary leaves. Chill.
2. To make the gimlet, combine the rosemary syrup, fresh lime juice and gin in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice, cover and shake well.
3. Pour into a chilled glass, and garnish with a twist of lime.

Tags: cocktail, dairy-free, gin, gluten-free, limes, rosemary, vegan, vegetarian