I made a batch of rosemary simple syrup for another drink recipe and had a bunch leftover, so naturally I started branstorming other drinks to make with rosemary simple. Dan really likes Old Fashioned's so we usually have the ingredients in the house and bourbon seemed like a great pair for the rosemary. I tried this at first with our homemade orange bitters, but the orange flavor overwhelmed the rosemary too much, so I went with the standard angostura bitters for this recipe.
I made some brandy soaked cherries for this recipe, which are super delicious. I got some cherries (in syrup, looks like fresh ones are hard to come by this time of year), and just soaked them in brandy in a mason jar overnight. I didn't want Maraschino cherries, I didn't think the flavor would go well with brandy, so I went with Bada Bing cherries from Metropolitan Market here in Tacoma. They're amazing!
Rosemary Simple Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Over medium high heat, mix together the water and sugar in a saucepan and place rosemary sprigs in the mixture. Bring to a boil and boil for about 1 minute or until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture and place in an airtight container. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 month. If it starts to smell funky, throw it and make a new batch. You can always add more or less rosemary to the mix if you like it more or less potent.
Rosemary Old Fashioned
2 teaspoons rosemary simple syrup
2 dashes angostura bitters
~3 ice cubes
1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger bourbon whiskey
1 sprig rosemary, orange peel and brandy soaked cherry for garnish
Pour the simple syrup, and bitters into a whiskey glass. Stir to combine, then place the ice cubes in the glass. Pour bourbon over the ice and garnish with a rosemary sprig, orange peel and brandy soaked cherry.
Enjoy!
