Summer is the perfect season for outdoor parties and lots of entertaining. We love having our neighbors and friends over. Right now we’re working on getting our backyard together and I have so many ideas! Once it’s all together I will be so happy!

 The other week we made this delicious lemon and rosemary cocktail for a summer cocktail hour at home. We have a huge rosemary bush so I decided to prune some of it and make a rosemary simple syrup. {I love that it’s called simple syrup because it is just that..soo simple!} We muddled some cucumber, added some lemon juice and gin and topped it with some sparkling water. It was so delicious and refreshing and perfect for these warm evenings!

make lemon zest sugar to the rim of the glasses

 

Lemon & Rosemary Cocktail
makes 2


INGREDIENTS

grated lemon zest from 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons rosemary simple syrup {recipe below}
4 ounces gin
10 1/4-inch thick slices of cucumber
sparkling water
rosemary for garnish

Combine sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl. Transfer sugar to a small plate.

To serve: Dip the rim of a double old fashioned glass into a shallow cup of water, letting excess water drip off. Then, twist the glass into the lemon zest sugar. Fill each glass halfway with ice and set aside.

Add cucumber to a cocktail shaker and muddle. Add lemon juice, rosemary simple syrup, gin, and 5 ice cubes. Shake and then strain into prepared glass. Top with sparkling water and serve with a spring of rosemary.

Rosemary Simple Syrup
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 bunch of rosemary

DIRECTIONS
Combine 1 cup sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and add sprigs of rosemary. Cover and let steep for 1 hour. Remove rosemary and chill the syrup in the fridge.
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