Rosemary-Ginger Prosecco Spritzers

Rosemary-Ginger Prosecco Spritzers

5
Points®
Total Time
45 min
Prep
10 min
Cook
5 min
Serves
8
Difficulty
Easy
Where summer cocktails go light and citrusy, this chilly-weather cocktail embraces rosemary's piney warmth and the spicy bite of ginger. Add prosecco or cava, and seltzer, and you've arrived at the perfect level of effervescence. This spritzer can be fancy or casual (your choice of glass will help underscore this choice), so you can return to this cocktail over and over for get-togethers all fall and winter long. When buying fresh ginger, look for knobs that are firm with tight, smooth skin.

Ingredients

Minced ginger

cup(s)

Fresh ginger

8 piece(s), 1/8-inch thick slices for garnish

Sugar

¼ cup(s)

Black pepper

1 pinch(es)

Water

½ cup(s)

Rosemary sprig

2 item(s), cut into 1-inch lengths, plus more for garnish

Prosecco

1 bottle(s)

Sparkling water

12 fl oz, or seltzer, chilled

Ice cube

40 cube(s)

Instructions

  1. In a small 2-cup saucepan, combine the chopped ginger, sugar, pepper and 1/2 c water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and mixture becomes a light syrup, 3-5 minutes (reduce heat as necessary to maintain an active simmer; do not boil.)
  2. Remove from heat; stir in the rosemary. Let stand 30 minutes; then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much syrup as possible. Discard the solids; keep covered and refrigerated until ready to use (the syrup can be made up to 3 days ahead).
  3. Fill 8 large glasses with ice. Add 3 fl oz (1/4 c plus 2 tbsp) of Prosecco and 2 tsp of rosemary-ginger syrup to each glass; stir to combine. Top off each glass with 3 Tbsp soda water; garnish with the rosemary sprigs and ginger.
  4. Serving size: 1 spritzer.