My friend Holly is a holiday baby. She shared this recipe with me years ago. She’s super festive, and so is this recipe that I have been tweaking and mixing for years! The combination of fresh juices with rosemary simple syrup is DELICIOUS and unique—it is perfect for child (keep the alcohol on the side and serve as punch for all) and adult palates. You can squeeze your own juice, but I prefer store-bought pulp-free orange juice.
Holly Brunch Cocktail
Serves 20 (in a 10 oz. rocks glass filled halfway with ice)
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water
5 rosemary sprigs (around 6 inches long)
6 cups 100% cranberry juice (a 1.89-liter bottle will be enough)
3 cups pulp-free orange juice (buy a standard 1.75-liter bottle and it will be more than enough)
4 cups club soda (buy two 1-liter bottles)
Two 750-milliliter bottles vodka
Empty, wash, and scrub a gallon jug (a milk jug is what I use) until it’s worthy of holding this fine cocktail.
Make a simple syrup: Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
Add rosemary (no need to de-stem it; just throw it in there) to simple syrup and simmer for 5 minutes.
Discard rosemary from syrup (strain any green bits out if needed).
Pour syrup into a bowl to cool if you are making the recipe on the fly like I always do, or cover and refrigerate until chilled/overnight.
Combine 3 cups syrup and juices in the jug. Place cover on a jug and swirl it around to combine.
There will be just enough room left in the jug for club soda, so right before serving, add the club soda and transfer the amount desired to a pitcher or punch bowl.
Garnish with an extra rosemary sprig if you have one.
Best served with ice (on the side) in a rocks glass.
Add vodka if desired—1⁄4 cup per 3/4 cup punch—although you won’t miss it without (and for me, that’s saying something!).
Need to scale the recipe down? Head to For One: Holly Brunch Cocktail.
Purchase the Lark Cocktails book for dozens more great recipes! #livinglark
Purchase Lark Cocktails, which features dozens of recipes just like this one!
