Sparkling Honey-Ginger Bourbon Lemonade

When I have friends coming to visit, I like to  make a batch of cocktails beforehand so that I have a pre-made refreshment to serve. Lemonade-based drinks are a favorite of mine: I’ve made a Rhuby-Lavender Lemonade as well as a Bourbon-Peach Lemonade in the past.

So to keep my trend going, I decided to make this Honey, Ginger Sparkling  Lemonade with Rosemary and added in some bourbon. (My friends are big bourbon fans, if yours aren’t, vodka would work as an easy substitute). I changed the recipe a bit to fit my tastes, but you can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup local honey
• 1/2 cup water
• the juice of 5 lemons, plus the zest of 1 lemon
• the juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup minced ginger
• 10 full rosemary stalks
• 2 1-liter bottles of club soda
• 1 1/2 cups bourbon
• Ice cubes

Note: Bourbon does include grains that contain gluten. However, distilled alcohol is considered gluten-free because the process of distillation removes the harmful gluten protein, which is why I have this recipe listed as gluten free. If you are highly sensitive to gluten, bourbon may be off limits for you.

This is a good recipe to make ahead for easy serving. You can make the simple syrup up to 3 days ahead of time. To make, add the honey, water, and two rosemary sprigs to a saute pan over medium heat.

Stir constantly until the honey is dissolved in the water. As you stir, press down on the sprigs to help release some of the flavor into the mixture.

Add in the minced ginger and the zest of 1 lemon. Cook for an additional 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and let sit for 1 hour.

Strain the simple syrup. If making ahead of time, pour into an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use

When you’re ready to make the drink, juice the lemons and lime. You should end up with about 3/4 cup of juice.

Strain into a pitcher to remove any seeds. Add the simple syrup, 1 1/2 cups bourbon and 1 liter of club soda, mixing to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, add the second liter of club soda. Pour the mixture into glasses filled with ice. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.

This drink maintains a bit of tartness from the lemon-lime juice while still having a slight sweetness from the ginger-rosemary simple syrup. The bourbon holds its own but this drink is deceptively smooth and drinkable. It’s nice and refreshing for hot summer days!

If you’re in search of other cocktails for a crowd, check out the below recipes:

Fizzy Old Fashioned

Sangria

Applejack Spiked Hot Cider

Slow Cooker Mulled Wine

Rhuby-Lavender Lemonade

Bourbon-Peach Lemonade