While the calendar is inching toward warmer weather and springtime menus, it is still cold and blustery outside and the produce section is full of wonderful ripe pears that smell fruity with hints of flowers. This pear rosemary sparkler is a great recipe to make when you want a fancy drink that is beautiful to look at, not too sweet but with a fresh taste that will knock your socks off. And the best part, it takes almost no time to prepare.
Rosemary Simple Syrup
This is one of the base simple syrups that I normally keep on hand (as well as a ginger simple syrup.) As long as you store it properly, the simple syrup should last for up to a month in the refrigerator. You can choose how thick to make your syrup, check out this post to learn the difference between simple syrup and rich simple syrup. It will take about 10 minutes of hands-on time to make rosemary simple syrup so give it a try.
The base of this pear rosemary sparkler is pear juice. I find it is easier to find pear nectar located in either the fruit juice aisle or the Hispanic aisle at the grocery store. The main difference between juice and nectar is that juice is made from extracting the pulp of the fruit. Nectar is made by combining fruit juice with water and other ingredients.
So if you have a juicer, you can make your own fruit juice, but you will need to use it quickly since it will begin to oxidize (turn brown) shortly after you process the fruit. Make sure you save part of a pear to slice thinly and use as a garnish.
Pear Rosemary Sparkler
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: beverage
Description
This pear rosemary sparkler is so easy to make. The classic flavor pairing of pear with rosemary is woodsy fresh without being too sweet making this beautiful mocktail a great addition to a meal.
Ingredients
Rosemary Simple Syrup
- 3 sprigs (about 5” long) fresh rosemary
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1–1/2 cups pear juice or nectar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/3 cup rosemary simple syrup
- Ice cubes
- 1–1/2 cups ginger ale
- Rosemary sprigs for garnish
- 1/2 pear, thinly slice for garnish
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water, sugar and rosemary.
- Bring ingredients to a boil, while stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.
- Remove and discard the rosemary sprigs. Store the rosemary simple syrup in container in the refrigerator.
- In a clear pitcher, combine the pear juice, lemon juice, water and ice cubes.
- Just before serving, add the ginger ale and stir slightly to combine.
- Garnish each glass with a sprig of fresh rosemary and pear slices.
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