Greetings from vacation! I couldn’t forget about my #TGIF post! My Friday cocktails are too much fun to miss! We arrived to the lake house here in beautiful Donner Lake, California. Just a few miles from the quaint town of Truckee and a stones throw from gorgeous Lake Tahoe! By Saturday night this house will be full of the chatter of more than a dozen women! For now, it’s just my best girl Wendy and I and we are currently sipping this very cocktail! A bunch of us from my “core group” of women are turning 40 this year. This long weekend is to celebrate Wendy! My boys are with my folks, The Rock Star is home alone and I am indulging in the very special camaraderie that can only be found in the girl friends get away. I’m certain there will be more on this later but, for now… back to my drink!

Recently I was out and heard somebody order a GreyHound. I hand’t thought of that drink in years! Consisting of vodka or gin coupled with grapefruit juice, or to jazz it up you can salt the rim for a salty dog! I decided to use gin. This time I used Hendrick’s.  The juniper and coriander notes are perfectly set between flavors of rose and cucumber… and that’s just the gin, yo! I knew immediately that I wanted to throw some rosemary in the mix. I made an intense rosemary simple syrup by simmering 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and about ten sprigs of rosemary for around 30 minutes. Once finished, I strained the herbs and was left with a beautifully green tinted clear syrup. Gin and grapefruit are intense flavors. If you don’t simmer the rosemary long enough the flavor will almost surely get lost in the shuffle.

You will need the following:

• Hendrick’s or the gin of your choice
• Rosemary simple syrup
• Grapefruit juice
• Club soda
• sprigs of fresh rosemary

Directions:

1. Pour two shots of gin into a shaker with one shot of rosemary simple syrup, mix well.
2. Divide over two large rocks glasses and ice. Add grapefruit juice halfway to the top.
3. Fill the remainder with club soda
4. Use a sprig of rosemary to stir the beverage and leave it in as your garnish.

The sprig of fresh rosemary not only looks lovely but is also a contributor to the overall rosemary essence of this drink. I hope you enjoy it! Cheers, bitches!