Fresh orange juice, rosemary sugar syrup and spices come together in this colorful drink. This Spicy Orange Rosemary Mocktail is the perfect festive drink for everyone to enjoy!
1/4teaspoonKashmiri red chili powdernot hot, adjust to taste, do not add if making for kids + some more for decoration
1cuporange juiceuse fresh orange juice without added sugar, 8 oz
rosemary sprigsto garnish
Instructions
We start by making the simple syrup and infuse it with rosemary. Heat 1/2 cup water with 3 sprigs of rosemary on medium heat. You can also chop one of the sprig, it gives a stronger flavor.
Once the water is warm (not boiling), add the sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely.
Then turn off the heat, cover the pot with a plate and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes for the rosemary flavor to seep in. Strain the simple syrup into a container and set this aside.
To make the mocktail, to a cocktail shaker (or use 2 glasses that you can use as a shaker) add few ice cubes and then 4 tablespoons of the prepared simple syrup.
Add the chaat masala, kala namak and Kashmiri red chili powder (adjust to taste, you can use less if you don't want it to have a little kick).
Add 1 cup of orange juice (unsweetened). Close the shaker and shake several times until everything is mixed well.
To serve, take 4 oz short glasses. Take a glass and rub a squeezed lemon slice over the rim to moisten it. Then dip the rim into a plate of kashmiri red chili powder and coat the rim with it. You can also use chaat masala here if you don't want to use Kashmiri chili powder but chili powder gives it that bright red color.
Pour the drink into the glass. Garnish with rosemary sprig and serve. Prepare all glasses similarly. Serve immediately.
Notes
The drink tastes best when served immediately. If you want to make it in advance, I would recommend cutting down on the chili powder a bit. As the drink sits, the chili flavor becomes more pronounced so add a little less if you are making this in advance or keeping it overnight in your fridge.
This recipes make 5 small drinks of 4 oz each. It can make more if you use 2 oz glasses or less if you use bigger glasses.
The recipe can easily be doubled. I would hold on doubling the red chili powder though, it might become very strong.
You would not use all the sugar syrup that is prepared. Use leftover syrup in make more drinks. You can also add it to your coffee!