Orange Cranberry Sparkler Rosemary (Printable)

A bright, sparkling blend with cranberries, orange, and rosemary offering refreshing festive flavor.

# What You'll Need:

→ Fruit & Juice

01 - 1 cup fresh cranberries
02 - 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
03 - 1 tablespoon orange zest

→ Sweetener

04 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar

→ Herbs

05 - 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus extra for garnish

→ Sparkling Base

06 - 3 cups sparkling water or club soda, chilled

→ Garnish

07 - Orange slices
08 - Additional fresh cranberries

# How to Make It:

01 - In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, sugar, and rosemary. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 7 to 8 minutes until cranberries burst and sugar dissolves completely.
02 - Remove from heat and gently muddle rosemary. Allow mixture to cool for 5 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing firmly to extract all liquid. Discard solids.
03 - Fill serving glasses with ice cubes. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the prepared cranberry-orange syrup to each glass.
04 - Top each glass with chilled sparkling water and stir gently to combine thoroughly.
05 - Garnish each drink with a rosemary sprig, orange slice, and fresh cranberries. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes impressive and celebratory without requiring any alcohol or complicated technique.
  • The cranberries burst and release their color naturally, making the syrup look like liquid rubies in the glass.
  • Rosemary adds a whisper of herbaceousness that keeps it from tasting one-note sweet.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cooling step before straining; hot syrup splashes, and you want to be able to press gently without burning your hand or losing syrup to the counter.
  • The ratio of syrup to sparkling water matters more than you'd think—too much syrup and it becomes thick like juice, too little and it tastes like plain fizzy water; two to three tablespoons is the sweet spot.
03 -
  • Make the syrup the night before if you're hosting; cold syrup mixed with cold sparkling water creates something more refreshing than syrup that's just cooled to room temperature.
  • If your cranberries are particularly large, halve them before simmering so they burst faster and release their color evenly.
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