Tag: grapefruit sparkling water

mocktail

Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer | An Excellent 5 Ingredient Non-Alcoholic Cocktail

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This Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer is an easy non-alcoholic cocktail that can be served any time of year. It's also easily made into an alcoholic cocktail by simply adding your favorite spirit.

This Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer is an easy non-alcoholic cocktail that can be served any time of year. It’s also easily made into an alcoholic cocktail by simply adding your favorite spirit.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

I love cocktails (obvs) but every now and then, I ditch the alcohol and enjoy a good ol’ mocktail. Actually, I frequently drink mocktails during the day but those are typically super easy (fresh juice + sparkling water). But when I make a mocktail at night, I want it to ~feel~ like a cocktail. Just a non-alcoholic cocktail.

There’s actually a bit of a push these days in the beverage world to stop saying “mocktail” and use the term “alcohol-free cocktail” or “non-alcoholic cocktail” instead. People claim that the word mocktail has negative connotations, that it makes a drink sound inferior and even childish. I can see where they’re coming from. A non-alcoholic cocktail does sound a bit more upscale, I suppose. But regardless of which term you like to use, this Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer is a dang one.

This Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer is an easy non-alcoholic cocktail that can be served any time of year. It's also easily made into an alcoholic cocktail by simply adding your favorite spirit.

This booze-free beverage was actually inspired by my young daughter. You see… she loves sparkling water. I mean loves. Actually, obsessed may be a more fitting term. I can’t crack open a can of anything without her running from the other room to ask for some. Now, she’s totally content with just sparkling water. But I wanted to make it a little more fun for her. Then I remembered I had some Paloma mix that a company had sent me in the fridge.

I poured some sparkling water into my toddler’s glass and then added a splash of the Paloma mix, turning it a pretty pale pink color. She oohed and ahhed and had seriously chugged it by the time I had put the Paloma mix back into the fridge. She immediately asked for “more peas” (more please) so I poured in some more sparkling water. Well… That was met with a sharp “No” and an enthusiastic gesture towards the fridge. I pulled the Paloma mix back out and she squealed–squealed!— with glee. Oh boy.

If you’re familiar with my cocktails preferences or if you’ve read this post, you know I always say to use fresh citrus when you can. This Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer does use fresh grapefruit juice; however, when making mocktails or non-alcoholic cocktails, it’s often a challenge to find ingredients to attribute to the overall volume of the drink. Mixers help fill up the glass and are a great way to introduce more flavor to a recipe.

This recipe is actually the perfect one to serve a crowd because it can easily be made into a cocktail by adding your liquor of choice. You could even display a few and let people choose which spirit they’d like to add to their Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer. It tastes amazing with tequila, vodka, rum, and gin! I’ve never tried it with whiskey, but that could be good, too.

And if rosemary’s not your thing, you could serve it with thyme or even mint or basil. It really is a versatile drink that’s sure to please just about anyone.

If you try the boozy version or the non-alcoholic cocktail version of this Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer, be sure to tag me on Instagram and let me know how you liked it in a comment below. Cheers!

Ingredients for a Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer

How to Make a Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer

Add the grapefruit juice, lime juice, and rosemary to a cocktail shaker. Muddle the rosemary with a muddler to release the flavor of the herb. Then add the Paloma mixer, rosemary sage simple syrup, and ice. Shake well. Strain into a lowball glass filled with ice. Top off the glass with the grapefruit sparkling water. Garnish with a grapefruit slice and a sprig of rosemary.

Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer

This Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer is an easy non-alcoholic cocktail that can be served any time of year. It's also easily made into an alcoholic cocktail by simply adding your favorite spirit.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 3 mins
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Equipment

  • cocktail shaker
  • muddler

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ oz grapefruit juice
  • 2 oz Paloma mixer
  • ½ oz lime juice
  • ½ oz rosemary simple syrup*
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 2+ oz grapefruit sparkling water, unsweetened

Instructions
 

  • Add the grapefruit juice, lime juice, and rosemary to a cocktail shaker.
  • Muddle the rosemary with a muddler to release the flavor of the herb.
  • Add the Paloma mixer, rosemary simple syrup*, and ice. Shake well.
  • Strain into a lowball glass filled with ice.
  • Top off the glass with the grapefruit sparkling water.
  • Garnish with a grapefruit slice and a sprig of rosemary.

Notes

*To make the rosemary simple syrup (it’s SUPER easy & takes only 5ish minutes), follow the directions on this post but just leave out the sage. 
Keyword cherry limeade, grapefruit, grapefruit juice, grapefruit rosemary spritzer, grapefruit sparkling water, lime juice, Paloma mixer, rosemary, rosemary simple syrup
tequila

Isla del Sol | An Irresistible 4 Ingredient Passion Fruit Paloma Recipe Made with SimplyGala Syrup

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The Isla del Sol cocktail is a passion fruit Paloma that's loaded with flavor. SimplyGala passion fruit syrup gives it the right amount of tropical vibes so you can sip on summer all year round.

The Isla del Sol cocktail is a passion fruit Paloma that’s packed with flavor. It’s not overly sweet and has got just the right amount of tropical vibes so you can sip on summer all year round.

This post is sponsored by SimplyGala. All opinions are my own.

I follow a lot of other mixologists on Instagram and my feed has been filled with passion fruit this and passion fruit that for months. Now, if you’re familiar with my style of cocktail-making, I don’t do fake syrups or drink mixes. I just can’t stomach artificial flavors. Plus a lot of commercial syrups are cloyingly sweet. That’s why I’ve admired all the passion fruit cocktail recipes from afar. I assumed they were using artificial passion fruit syrup and I wanted nothing to do with that.

Shame on me for not doing some research into passion fruit syrups because if I HAD I would’ve discovered much earlier on that SimplyGala syrups are anything but artificial.

If you’ve been around from the early days of Girl & Tonic, you may remember that I’ve actually made a Passion Fruit Paloma recipe before. That one was made with beet simple syrup and passion fruit sparkling water, making it preeetty light on the passion fruit flavor.

Quality ingredients in cocktails make ALL the difference. Most cocktail recipes, especially the ones on this site, are 5 ingredients or less. If you’ve got a sub-par ingredient in the mix, it’s gonna ruin the whole thing. I can’t tell you how many drinks I’ve ruined by trying to cut corners. That’s what happened with the first Passion Fruit Paloma recipe I made. I didn’t wanna spend money on passion fruit syrup so I used the passion fruit sparkling water instead. Now, it’s not a bad drink. I enjoyed it. I’d make it again. But calling it a Passion Fruit Paloma was probably not the right call.

This Isla del Sol recipe is definitely a passion fruit Paloma though. Y’all. It is BURSTING with flavor. Traditional Palomas can leave much to be desired taste-wise but the SimplyGala passion fruit syrup packs the tropical punch it’s asking for. I was honestly shocked at how delicious the syrup was when I took my first taste. I could straight up put a straw in the bottle and call it a day. But seeing as how this a cocktail blog and all, I figured I couldn’t post a recipe that said “Open bottle. Insert straw. Sip & enjoy.” So I lived out my previous passion fruit Paloma fantasy and was not disappointed this time.

The Isla del Sol cocktail is a passion fruit Paloma that's loaded with flavor. SimplyGala passion fruit syrup gives it the right amount of tropical vibes so you can sip on summer all year round.

But like I mentioned earlier, quality ingredients make all 👏 the 👏 difference 👏 in a cocktail.

When I Googled “passion fruit syrup” I was shocked to see that all the name brand ones have artificial colors, high fructose corn syrup, “natural flavors” (another way to say they didn’t use passion fruit- read this article to see how companies manufacture the passion fruit flavor “naturally”), and other things that shouldn’t belong in a cocktail like titanium dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

Umm… I’m sorry, is it too much to ask for it to just be made with passion fruit? Thankfully the SimplyGala passion fruit syrup has answered the call. You know what’s on their ingredient label? 3 things. Pure cane sugar. Water. Passion fruit pulp. *cue Hallelujah chorus set to a tropical tune*

That’s what sets SimplyGala apart from other syrup companies. They make it their goal to create quality products with real ingredients at an affordable price.

The Isla del Sol cocktail is a passion fruit Paloma that's loaded with flavor. SimplyGala passion fruit syrup gives it the right amount of tropical vibes so you can sip on summer all year round.

If you’re like me you’re still a little hesitant to invest your hard-earned money in a product you’re not sure you’ll like. (Hello, that’s why I used freakin’ passion fruit WATER instead of SYRUP. Don’t let me cut corners like that ever again.) It’s even harder to buy something from a company you’ve never heard of before. Trust me. I feel you. But I’ve had the privilege of getting to know the owner of SimplyGala for a few weeks now so I can bridge that gap for you.

Gala has had a long love affair with food and flavors. She attended culinary school and cooked professionally for awhile before switching to a job that was a little more suitable for a working mom. When her kids were done with their schooling career, she picked her culinary career back up–this time on the beverage side of things. Her knowledge of cocktails fueled her passion for quality cocktail ingredients, so she started making her own. She first sold them on Etsy and at farmers’ markets across California; now, SimplyGala equips people like you and me across the country with high-quality syrups to take our #happyhourathome to the next level.

She’s also been gluten-free for years like me, so we bonded over that. It’s always nice to know that products are not only gluten-free but are also handled by someone who actually knows what that means!

Using SimplyGala syrups in your cocktails means you’re not going to have to compromise on flavor in order to afford them. And THAT is music to my frugal ears.

The Isla del Sol cocktail is a passion fruit Paloma that's loaded with flavor. SimplyGala passion fruit syrup gives it the right amount of tropical vibes so you can sip on summer all year round.

If you end up making this Isla del Sol, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@girlandtonic_) and if you make it with SimplyGala passion fruit syrup, tag them, too (@simplygalagourmet)!

Ingredients for an Isla del Sol (Passion Fruit Paloma)

  • 1 1/2 oz tequila blanco
  • 3/4 oz grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 oz SimplyGala passion fruit syrup
  • 1+ oz grapefruit soda (or grapefruit sparkling water for less sugar & calories)

How to Make an Isla del Sol (Passion Fruit Paloma)

Add ice, tequila, grapefruit juice, and SimplyGala passion fruit syrup to a cocktail shaker. Shake well, about 20 seconds. Strain into a lowball glass that’s been filled with ice. Top off the rest of the glass with grapefruit soda or sparkling water. Garnish with additional grapefruit.

Isla del Sol – Passion Fruit Paloma

The Isla del Sol cocktail is a passion fruit Paloma that's loaded with flavor. It has just the right amount of tropical vibes so you can sip on summer all year round.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 3 mins
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Equipment

  • cocktail shaker

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ oz tequila blanco
  • ¾ oz grapefruit juice
  • ½ oz SimplyGala passion fruit syrup
  • 1+ oz grapefruit soda*

Instructions
 

  • Add ice, tequila, grapefruit juice, and SimplyGala passion fruit syrup to a cocktail shaker.
  • Shake well, about 20 seconds.
  • Strain into a lowball glass that's been filled with ice.
  • Top off the rest of the glass with grapefruit soda or sparkling water.
  • Garnish with additional grapefruit.

Notes

*You can substitute grapefruit sparkling water for less sugar and calories.
Keyword grapefruit, grapefruit juice, grapefruit soda, grapefruit sparkling water, passion fruit, passion fruit syrup, SimplyGala passion fruit syrup, tequila
The Isla del Sol cocktail is a passion fruit Paloma that's loaded with flavor. SimplyGala passion fruit syrup gives it the right amount of tropical vibes so you can sip on summer all year round.
gin

Hype Girl Cocktail| A Brilliant Cocktail & Mocktail

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The Hype Girl Cocktail is a simple fruity drink that's not too sweet. Make it with gin or vodka for a delicious cocktail or leave it out for a mocktail that won't make you miss alcohol. The tart raspberries and bitter grapefruit are balanced by the earthy sweetness of beet simple syrup. Add some grapefruit sparkling water and this drink will get you pumped about life in no time.

Just like a real-life hype girl, this Hype Girl cocktail recipe is sure to get you fired up. It’s bright, bubbly, and unique and is a drink that I think most everyone would enjoy. There’s even a mocktail version that’s bomb.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

Before we go talking about the drink, though, what is a hype girl? A hype girl is the life of the party, your number one fan & supporter, the friend that can get you pumped about anything.

I think most people have a hype girl in their life. My mom’s definitely my OG hype girl but I’ve got several others, too. I have a handful of friends who constantly cheer me on and root for me, especially in this blogging business.

The Hype Girl Cocktail is a simple fruity drink that's not too sweet. Make it with gin or vodka for a delicious cocktail or leave it out for a mocktail that won't make you miss alcohol. The tart raspberries and bitter grapefruit are balanced by the earthy sweetness of beet simple syrup. Add some grapefruit Bubly and this drink will get you pumped about life in no time.

My inspiration for the name of this cocktail comes from my friend Ashley. Ashley feels like my own personal hype girl, especially when it comes to Girl & Tonic. But really, she’s encouraging and supportive of all women. She even has an account on Instagram called @theneighborhoodhypegirl. It’s a great account to follow if you need some positivity & pep talks dropped in your social media feed. Ashley– thanks for supporting me and my cocktail blog even though you don’t drink. This mocktail’s for you!

My recipe inspiration came in the form of a pint of raspberries that were on the last few days of life and yet were still incredibly tart. I needed to use them up somehow and figured a cocktail would be a great use (naturally). I looked around in my fridge to see what else needed to be used up. Grapefruit juice… a lonely can of grapefruit Bubly.. oh, yeah, I can make this work.

How to make a mocktail with Bubly | This Hype Girl mocktail is made with grapefruit Bubly, fresh raspberries, grapefruit juice, and beet simple syrup.

To tone down the raspberries and the grapefruit, I knew I’d need some kind of sweetener. Simple syrup is the obvious choice but I figured I’d stay on the pink trend and utilize the bag of beet powder hanging out in my pantry. Using beet simple syrup not only makes your drinks a gorgeous magenta color but it also provides a touch of earthiness that keeps your drink from tasting overly sweet. You could definitely make the Hype Girl cocktail or mocktail with traditional simple syrup, but beet simple syrup is way more fun.

This cocktail tastes great with either vodka or gin. Gin lends a more botanical feel while vodka’s clean taste highlights the raspberry and grapefruit. Use whichever you prefer. Or try both versions and tell me which one you like more in the comments!

If you’re needing some pep in your day, mix yourself up a Hype Girl Mocktail. And when you’re ready to unwind at night, mix up the cocktail version.

If you’re interested in other mocktails, these Girl & Tonic recipes can be easily turned into mocktails by skipping the alcohol:

Easy Colada

pineapple juice + coconut water + Demerara syrup

Jam Mocktail

jam + flavored sparkling water + herb + citrus juice

grapefruit juice + beet simple syrup + passionfruit sparkling water

Cero Miedo

guava nectar + lime juice + jalapeño basil syrup + chili powder + club soda

Golden Pothos

tonic water + lemon juice + turmeric + cardamom syrup

Ingredients for a Hype Girl Cocktail and Mocktail

  • 1 1/2 oz gin or vodka (omit for mocktail)
  • 3/4 oz grapefruit juice
  • 4 raspberries
  • 1/2 oz beet simple syrup (here’s the easy recipe)
  • 3-5 oz grapefruit sparkling water (like Bubly or La Croix)

How to Make a Hype Girl Cocktail and Mocktail

Pour the gin or vodka and grapefruit juice into a cocktail shaker. If you’re making a cocktail, just skip the gin. Add the raspberries and gently muddle them. No need to destroy them–just smoosh them a bit. Add the beet simple syrup and a generous amount of ice. Shake well.

If you don’t want raspberry seeds in your drink, you’ll need to “double strain” it. You’ll need a small strainer like this one.

Hype Girl Cocktail and Mocktail | This delicious and refreshing drink is perfect for getting you pumped up. It's a perfect blend of tart, bitter, sweet, and bubbly.

Fill your cocktail glass with ice. Hold the strainer over your glass while you pour the drink from the cocktail shaker. This should catch the raspberry bits.

Top off the rest of the glass with the grapefruit sparkling water and stir. Garnish with a grapefruit slice.

Hype Girl Cocktail and Mocktail | This delicious and refreshing drink is perfect for getting you pumped up. It's a perfect blend of tart, bitter, sweet, and bubbly.

Hype Girl Cocktail and Mocktail Recipe

A fruity drink that's not too sweet. Make it with gin or vodka or leave it out for a refreshing mocktail.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 3 mins
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Equipment

  • cocktail shaker or lidded mason jar
  • small strainer

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ oz vodka or gin (omit for mocktail)
  • ¾ oz grapefruit juice
  • 4 raspberries
  • ½ oz beet simple syrup *see note for recipe
  • 3+ oz unsweetened grapefruit sparkling water (add more for mocktail recipe)

Instructions
 

  • Add the liquor (optional), grapefruit juice, and raspberries into a cocktail shaker.
  • Gently muddle the raspberries, just enough to smoosh them a bit and release the juice.
  • Add the beet simple syrup and a generous amount of ice.
  • Shake well.
  • Double strain** over a cocktail glass that's been filled with ice.
  • Top off the rest of the glass with the grapefruit sparkling water and stir.
  • Garnish with a grapefruit slice. 

Notes

*Don’t be intimidated by the beet simple syrup. It’s actually quite easy and will only take you a few minutes. Check out the recipe here.
 
**To double-strain, you’ll need a small strainer (like this one). Hold the strainer over your glass while you pour the shaken cocktail. This will catch all the raspberry bits. You can omit this step if you don’t mind the raspberry seeds in your drink.
Keyword beet, beet simple syrup, gin, grapefruit, grapefruit juice, raspberries, sparkling water, vodka