Blood Orange Rosemary Soda

Ingredients

• 🍊Blood Orange, juiced3 orange
• 🌿Rosemary, fresh3 sprig
• 🍯Granulated White Sugar3 tbsp
• 🍋Lemon, juiced1 lemon
• 💧Wateras needed
• 🧊Iceas needed

Method

1. 1

   Roll the Blood Oranges and the Lemon firmly on the counter.

2. 2

   Cut them in half and squeeze them into the measuring jug, catching the seeds as you go. Keep pressing until the juice slows to a drip and the fruit feels soft and spent.

3. 3

   Set the jug aside; if the juice looks cloudy with too much pith, strain it through your fingers before moving on.

   6 min
4. 4

   Hold the Rosemary sprigs over the chopping board and strip the leaves off the woody stems with your fingers.

5. 5

   Chop the leaves finely so they look almost feathery. Keep going for about 2 minutes until the pieces are small and fragrant; if a stem sneaks into the pile, pick it out now because it turns stubborn and woody in the syrup.

   2 min
6. 6

   Set a small saucepan over medium heat with the Granulated White Sugar and Water.

7. 7

   Stir gently with a spoon until the sugar dissolves and the liquid turns clear, about 3-4 minutes. You want the syrup hot, glossy, and free of grainy sound when you drag the spoon across the base; if crystals cling to the sides, brush them down with a splash of water so they do not recrystallise.

   4 min
8. 8

   Add the chopped Rosemary to the hot syrup and turn the heat off.

9. 9

   Stir once and let it steep for about 5 minutes until the liquid smells piney and the rosemary looks darker and relaxed. Taste the aroma, not the leaf pieces; if the scent is faint, give it another minute rather than boiling it harder, which can make the herbs taste bitter.

   5 min
10. 10

    Pour the syrup through the fine-mesh strainer into the mixing bowl.

11. 11

    Let it cool for about 5 minutes until it stops steaming and feels just warm at the edge of the bowl. If any green flecks remain, strain it again now; a clean syrup keeps the final drink bright instead of leafy.

    5 min
12. 12

    Pour the Blood Orange juice and the Lemon juice into the cooled syrup in the mixing bowl.

13. 13

    Stir steadily for about 30 seconds until the mixture looks uniform and the colour turns a vivid ruby-coral. If it tastes sharp or thin, that is normal before the soda goes in; what you want here is a smooth, fragrant base with no separate syrup layer sinking to the bottom.

    1 min
14. 14

    Divide the citrus base between two glasses.

15. 15

    Slowly pour in the chilled Soda Water down the side of each glass so it foams lightly instead of rushing over the rim. Stop when the drink is lively with fine bubbles and the surface looks sparkling rather than aggressively frothy; if the bubbles collapse fast, the soda was not cold enough.

    1 min
16. 16

    Add fresh ice to the glasses if you like.

17. 17

    Serve the soda straight away while the bubbles are still sharp and the rosemary is fragrant on the nose. Give each glass a final gentle stir only if the syrup has settled, because too much movement knocks out the fizz and flattens the drink.

    1 min

Nutrition per serving