A simple Rosemary Blood Orange Syrup for soda, beverages, or desserts.
I have always loved sparkling water. I think it started in childhood with Clearly Canadian sodas (anyone else remember those? The blackberry was the best!) And my addiction only grew when I spent a summer living in Italy and Spain where all water is sparkling. It doesn’t need to be flavored – I really just love plain tap water with bubbles. Knowing I love it so much, my sweet hubby gifted me a Soda Stream for my birthday last year so I could make sparkling water any time I wanted!
Since then, I’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with making my own Italian soda syrups. I love being able to mix flavors you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else – like this rosemary blood orange syrup. It’s the perfect drink for Spring because it’s bright and citrusy, a fun pink-red color, and has just the right hint of herbs.
Earlier this week my friend Jenna and I did a recipe challenge using blood oranges and I shared a recipe for Blood Orange Chicken. I was really torn between sweet and savory recipes, so I decided I should probably just do both. (Plus Jenna was egging me on.)
I’ve made a lot of soda syrups over the past year, but I think this one has moved to the absolute top of my list. I can’t seem to get enough! I’m pretty sad that blood oranges are only in season for a few months a year because I think this would be lovely and refreshing for a summer party. I guess I’ll have to settle for Easter cocktails instead.
One of the biggest benefits of mixing your own soda is that you can control exactly how much sweetness goes into your drink by changing the amount of soda syrup that you add. Sometimes I like to pour heavy and have a sweeter drink, and sometimes I like to add just a tiny bit and make more of a flavored water than a soda. Sometimes I even get fancy and mix it with sprite, vodka, or champagne for a fancy new cocktail.
You can also use this syrup to make some extra fancy pancakes, drizzle it over some scones, use it to fill some fancy chocolates, or add it to your favorite iced tea. Enjoy!
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Rosemary Blood Orange Syrup
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 15
Description
A rosemary blood orange simple syrup for soda, beverages, or desserts.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon fresh blood orange zest (from 1 orange)
- 1 cup fresh blood orange juice (from 3 medium blood oranges or pre-squeezed juice)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 6 two inch sprigs of fresh rosemary (dried rosemary won’t release enough oils)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a 1 quart saucepan over high heat.
- Bring to a boil, and reduce to medium high heat.
- Boil until mixture has reduced by about half, 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to completely cool.
- Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 months.
- Yields about 1 cup of syrup.
- To make a rosemary blood orange soda: Mix approximately 3 tablespoons of syrup per 8 oz sparkling water over ice and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.
Notes
- No blood oranges? Swap in naval oranges or grapefruits.
- Gluten-free: This is gluten-free
- Vegan/Vegetarian: This is vegan.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
See, this is why I love the word “both!” This syrup sounds so yummy. I would probably like it best in a drink. I’m going to make your Blood Orange Chicken tonight, but it looks like I’ll need to get some more blood oranges so I can make this syrup soon.
Haha. You’re totally right Jenna. I’m definitely glad I made both! I just saw some blood orange juice on sale at the grocery earlier this week, so you may find that easier to come across.
I had never heard of rosemary blood orange syrup before. That sounds delicious. I definitely will be trying this. Especially on my pancakes! I love pancakes and as soon as you mentioned the syrup would taste good on them, I was like yes yes, I need to try this! Great post. Thanks for the recipe.
I think I invented it! I’ve seen rosemary simple syrup before, and I’ve seen blood orange syrup before, but I’ve never seen the two together. That’s what I love about making your own simple syrups – the flavor combinations are endless! I hope you enjoy it on your pancakes!
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Ooh, this sounds delicious and perfect for the warm weather! We have a Soda Stream but have used it solely to make seltzer. This would be a great add-in. Pinning! Thanks for sharing, stopping by from Foodie Fridays.
Thank you Bev! I love, love, love seltzer, but sometimes it’s nice to have a refreshing sweet treat on a hot day too. My favorite part of making soda is that I get to control how sweet it is. You should definitely try it yourself!
Thanks for the recipe! I really enjoyed making my own sodas, and there a lot of different uses for the syrup, which is great. I didn’t get to make any with blood oranges, but I tried with grapefruit and with cara cara oranges. I also experimented with a strawberry lemon syrup, but I think the orange rosemary combination turned out better.