Dress up a glass of bubbly by creating a sparkling cocktail — it’s a festive way to toast any celebration. Make a simple syrup infused with fresh herbs this weekend, and you’ll have an aromatic, beautiful ingredient to add to your holiday beverages for the next couple of weeks. The syrups also make wonderful gifts; write down a few mixing ideas on the tag and bring one to your next host or hostess.
For a super-simple drink, add a tablespoon of the herb-infused simple syrup below to a glass of sparkling wine. Alternatively, try something even more elegant and flavorful — our classic champagne cocktail. Keep reading for recipes!
Herb-Infused Simple Syrup
1/2 cup (4 oz./125 g.) sugar
1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml.) water
Herb of choice (see below)
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water, bring to a boil over high heat, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, add the herb, and let stand for 1-2 hours. Pour the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a jar, pressing down firmly on the herbs. Cap tightly and refrigerate. The syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 3/4 cup (6 fl. oz./180 ml.).
3 fresh basil sprigs, 3 inches (7.5 cm.) long
4-5 bay leaves
4-5 fresh geranium leaves
1 1/2 tsp. fresh lavender buds
1/4 cup (1/4 oz./7 g.) fresh lovage leaves
2 fresh rosemary sprigs, 3 inches (7.5 cm.) long
3 fresh thyme sprigs, 3 inches (7.5 cm.) long
Classic Champagne Cocktail
1 rough-cut Demerara or other brown sugar cube
1/4 tsp. angostura bitters
Cognac
Sparkling wine
1 orange zest strip
Place the sugar cube in the bottom of a Champagne flute or wineglass. Pour the bitters on top. Add enough Cognac to cover the sugar cube, then top with the sparkling wine, leaving enough room for the mixture to froth. Garnish with the orange zest. Serves 1.
5 comments
I’m surprised not to see tarragon on the list of suggested herbs. In early summer, I made a tarragon simple syrup, and found it to be a great sweetener for iced tea. It also was nice when drizzled over a store-bought blackberry cobbler ice cream.
Hi seven dean lauria and Josie, we apologize for the confusion! The recipe for the Champagne cocktail is separate from the herb-infused simple syrup, so it uses only the brown sugar cube. Here, we are describing two ways to make a Champagne cocktail. The first is simple — just add a tablespoon of the herb-infused simple syrup below to a glass of sparkling wine. The second is the more involved recipe at the bottom of the post.
As for the herbs, they are meant to be suggestions for individual herb quantities, not to be used all together.
Hope this helps!
I hope they respond, seven dean lauria; the cocktail recipe seems out of place otherwise. Personally, I was wondering if the list of herbs are meant to as suggestions for individual herb quantities or if all of them go into the syrup together.
[…] Infusing simple syrup with fresh herbs adds a new dimension to beverages. Just combine equal parts sugar and water and heat just until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat and stir in a handful of your favorite herbs. Let steep for 2 hours before straining. Try rosemary syrup in fresh lemonade or lavender syrup in a glass of Champagne. Find more ideas here. […]
Does the Champagne Cocktail described above take Herb-Infused Simple Syrup in addition to the Demerera Brown Sugar Cube…or instead of it?