Happy, happy fall!
Tell me, is it fall where you live yet? Because it sure as heck isn’t here. I’m trying to make as many fall-ish warm weather recipes as possible right now, and this over-the-top Spiked Maple Rosemary Lemonade is really filling the bill.
We’re facing above-average temps for this weekend, and as much as I’m looking forward to beautiful weather for my morning beach volleyball games on Sunday, my heart is aching for all those who have been affected by the crazy fire season we’ve been having here on the Central Coast. The latest has been an over 10,000 fire acre near Vandenberg Air Force Base, and sadly two days ago we lost one of the brave, heroic firefighters in a car accident on his way to the blaze with more water supply. It was a heart-wrenching sight when, around 2:00pm, all of the freeway overpasses in town were lined with firefighters and their trucks, gazing towards the north in salute to their fallen fellow man.
It seems these men and women who fight the area’s fires have been working tirelessly for days on end, and I’m hoping they get a break soon. My heart is with all of those fighting and I so wish I could deliver some of these refreshing Spiked Maple Rosemary Lemonades to the crews at the end of their shifts. They most definitely need (and deserve) some strong cocktails after all of their hard work!
But since I can’t get to them to ply them with this tasty, fortifying cocktail, I get to share it with all of you! Maybe you have a firefighter in your life that you can reward after a couple long days of work, or just someone that needs a break after a long day, no matter what their occupation. This Spiked Maple Rosemary Lemonade is for them! (And you, of course, because it would be rude to just sit and watch them drink this on their own.)
When I first had the idea for this cocktail, I wanted to make it as simple as possible. Lemonade, vodka (because, what better pairing) and maple syrup. The lemonade would give the drink that summery feel I was looking for, while the maple syrup would lend just a hint of fall flavor. But, leave it to the food blogger, as I was rifling through the refrigerator for the other ingredients, I came upon the leftover rosemary simple syrup I had from these Rosemary, Fig & Date Tequila Smashes I made a few weeks back and I figured, I might as well see if I can use this up!
Two words: mind blown. It was such the perfect addition. The rosemary adds that simple, extra touch of herbal fragrance that surprises you on the back end when you take a sip. It’s a naturally perfect pairing for both lemon and maple syrup, so really, we weren’t going to fail on flavor with this one.
In lieu of store-bought lemonade (because you never know what sort of ingredients they throw in) I decided to squeeze my own fresh lemon juice, and to balance out the tartness with a combination of the maple syrup and the rosemary simple syrup. It worked like a charm and I knew exactly which ingredients went in to making this delicious cocktail (no artificial sweeteners here!)
And even though I HIGHLY recommend making these Spiked Maple ROSEMARY Lemonades, if you’re too lazy to go about making the rosemary simple syrup, you could just use regular simple syrup instead, but for how easy the rosemary version is to make (and how well it keeps in the refrigerator) I highly recommend you go this route.
The other great news? Even though we’re making this Spiked Maple Rosemary Lemonade from scratch, it comes together in a snap. Just make sure you have a citrus juicer on hand for the lemons, a stash of simple syrup (preferably rosemary-infused), some high-quality maple syrup and, of course, vodka! We can’t forget the vodka.
Speaking of which, I was just going through all of the alcohol we have leftover from our wedding, and realized that we have something like THREE handles of Ketel One…The hubby and I are usually more whiskey/bourbon fans, but we’ll need to get through the vodka somehow. Does anyone have any great vodka cocktail recipes? Please share!
Until then, we’ll be making Spiked Maple Rosemary Lemonade on repeat from here to eternity 😛
Have a great weekend friends!
An easy, refreshing cocktail to take us from summer into fall - fresh lemon juice sweetened with maple and rosemary simple syrup.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce maple syrup (you’ll want to go for high-quality here, no Aunt Jemima!)
- 2 ounces vodka
- 2 ounces fresh lemon juice
- ½ - 1 ounce rosemary simple syrup (to taste, depending on how sour the lemons are)
Instructions
- Pour maple syrup into a rocks glass (or small mason jar, as shown in these photos) and then add vodka. Stir to combine.
- Fill glass three-quarters of the way full with ice, then top with lemon juice and rosemary simple syrup. Stir to combine.
- Enjoy!
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like: