Raspberry Rosemary Lemonade

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small saucepan
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Large glass pitcher (2-quart capacity)
• •Citrus juicer or reamer
• •Tall glasses (12-16 oz)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make rosemary simple syrup

   Combine sugar and one cup of water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves completely, about three minutes. The liquid should turn from cloudy to perfectly clear. Add the rosemary sprigs, pressing them gently with a wooden spoon to bruise the leaves. Remove from heat immediately. Steeping rosemary in hot syrup is different from cooking it. You want fragrance, not bitterness.

   Fresh rosemary varies in potency. Taste your syrup after ten minutes. If it's assertively herbal, strain it. If subtle, let it steep longer. Trust your palate.
2. 2

   Steep and strain

   Let the rosemary steep in the warm syrup for fifteen to twenty minutes. The syrup will take on a faint golden hue and smell like a Mediterranean garden. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean jar, pressing the rosemary gently to extract all the infused liquid. Discard the spent herbs. Let the syrup cool to room temperature.

3. 3

   Prepare the raspberry puree

   Place two cups of fresh raspberries in a bowl and crush them with a fork or potato masher. You're not making jam. You want rough pieces and released juices, not a smooth paste. Some texture is honest and beautiful. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing firmly to extract all the juice. You should have about three-quarters cup of vivid ruby liquid. Reserve a few whole berries for garnish.

   Frozen raspberries work if fresh are unavailable. Thaw them first and they'll crush even more easily, releasing abundant juice.
4. 4

   Juice the lemons

   Roll each lemon firmly against your counter, pressing down with your palm. This breaks the internal membranes and yields more juice. Cut lemons in half crosswise and juice them over a strainer to catch seeds. You need one and a half cups of juice. This typically requires ten to twelve lemons depending on their size and the season. Late winter lemons yield more juice than summer ones.

   Room temperature lemons yield significantly more juice than cold ones. Pull them from the refrigerator thirty minutes before juicing.
5. 5

   Combine the lemonade base

   In a large pitcher, combine the cooled rosemary syrup, strained raspberry juice, and fresh lemon juice. Stir well to incorporate. Add four cups of cold water and stir again. The color should be a magnificent deep pink, somewhere between coral and magenta depending on your raspberries.

6. 6

   Taste and adjust

   Taste your lemonade now, before you add ice. It should hit three notes in sequence: bright tartness first, gentle sweetness second, then the woody whisper of rosemary at the finish. If too tart, add simple syrup by the tablespoon. If too sweet, add more lemon juice. If the rosemary seems faint, you can steep a fresh sprig directly in the pitcher for ten minutes. Balance is everything.

   Remember that ice will dilute the flavors as it melts. Make the base slightly more intense than you think you want it.
7. 7

   Chill properly

   Refrigerate the lemonade for at least one hour before serving. Cold temperature mellows acidity and allows flavors to marry. The rosemary will continue to integrate, becoming less of a distinct note and more of a background complexity. This patience separates a good lemonade from an exceptional one.

8. 8

   Serve with ceremony

   Fill tall glasses with ice made from filtered water. Cloudy ice from unfiltered tap water looks careless. Pour the lemonade over the ice, leaving room at the top. Garnish each glass with a fresh rosemary sprig, a few whole raspberries, and a lemon wheel. The rosemary sprig should stand upright like a tiny fragrant tree. Serve immediately.

Chef Tips

• •For entertaining, make the rosemary syrup and raspberry puree up to three days ahead. Store separately in the refrigerator. Juice your lemons the morning of the event and assemble just before guests arrive.
• •To batch for a crowd, double or triple all ingredients and serve from a large glass dispenser. Add ice to individual glasses rather than the pitcher to prevent dilution.
• •Sparkling water transforms this into an elegant spritzer. Replace the still water with club soda, adding it just before serving to preserve the bubbles.
• •A splash of gin or vodka turns this into a sophisticated cocktail. Add one and a half ounces of spirit per glass after pouring the lemonade.
• •The raspberry sediment that settles at the bottom of your pitcher is not a flaw. Stir gently before each pour to redistribute that beautiful color.

Advance Preparation

• •Rosemary simple syrup keeps refrigerated for up to two weeks in a sealed jar.
• •Raspberry puree can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. The color may darken slightly but the flavor remains bright.
• •Complete lemonade base (without ice) can be refrigerated for up to three days. The flavors actually improve with time.
• •Do not add ice until serving. Pre-iced lemonade becomes watery within thirty minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 280g)