Tangerine and Rosemary co*cktail Recipe | We are not Martha (2024)

Caramelized citrus and herbs mix together for this delightful rum-based tangerine and rosemary co*cktail.

(This recipe for tangerine and rosemary co*cktails was originally posted in August 2012, but was updated with new photos in 2018).

When someone declares it National Rum Day, you celebrate. Right? OK, so National Rum Day was actually yesterday. And I just happened to have this drink planned before I had any idea it was National Rum Day. Coincidences like this keep happening to me… I even made s'mores cookie bars for our work potluck last Friday on National S'mores Day before I had a clue it was National S'mores Day (not sure how I missed advance notice of this very important holiday). It's uncanny really. Maybe I have the psychic ability to determine what national food day it is? I definitely just Googled to see if today was a national holiday for any of the meals I have planned… But it's actually National Vanilla Custard Day. And, alas, I do not have a vanilla custard recipe planned, so I guess my psychic theory is wrong. But I also learned that Sunday is Hot and Spicy Food Day (which you know I'll be celebrating!) and next weekend is Whiskey Sour Day, which is also cause for celebration. Consider this a public service announcement.

But back to co*cktail Friday. I spotted this swoon-worthy rosemary tangerine co*cktail in Bon Appetit and found it instantly appealing from the image alone. It screamed summer and made me realize I haven't made nearly enough co*cktails this summer. In fact, I haven't even made a single co*cktail in a mason jar. Who am I?? I still have a few weeks left and will most definitely be taking full advantage of them. Starting with this deliciousness. I mean, a rosemary co*cktail? Heavenly.

ROSEMARY TANGERINE COOLER RECIPE

Have you ever grilled oranges? Or any other citrus fruit? What about grilling them after you coat them in coarse sugar? Because that's what you do in this recipe and omg it is glorious. Basically, you slide the tangerines in half and coat the cut end in sugar and then place cut-side down in a cast-iron skillet, along with some sprigs of rosemary.

FYI: even if you're not interested in this co*cktail, you must do the above immediately simply for as a room freshener. Omg my kitchen smelled so delightful from the sweet tangerines and fragrant rosemary. This is especially wonderful during the holiday season. Do it before you have a holiday party and your guests will lose their minds. Caramelized tangerines are my new everything.

Anyway. Once your tangerines are nice and toasty, you'll remove them from the skillet and discard the rosemary. Kind of sad, but I guess the fragrance of it seeps into the tangerines enough, so your co*cktail will still have some rosemary essence. Once this step is done, it's easy street. Simply muddle the tangerines and a bit more sugar in a co*cktail shaker, add rum and ice, shake away, and pour into a glass.

Garnish with a bit of fresh rosemary (technically, you could use the rosemary you caramelized instead of discarding it... But the fresh looked so much prettier) and sip away.

I made this gorgeous tangerine rosemary co*cktail in August, but it really felt more like a cozy winter drink. Rosemary just feels wintry to me and so does citrus... Especially when said citrus is caramelized.

But no matter what time of year you enjoy it, this co*cktail is super tasty! It definitely has a strong citrus taste, though the rum nicely shines through. and I thought the light caramel flavor was wonderful.

I sort of wish the rosemary could function as a straw. How fun would that be? That's my next invention: herb straws.

And now I want to try this very same drink, but with grapefruit, thyme, and tequila. Which would make it not the same drink at all, but you know what I mean. Once you get the "method" of caramelizing, muddling, and pouring, you can switch out the citrus, herbs, and alcohol for whatever you want and your drink options are endless.

The way drink options should be. I hope you have a very happy co*cktail Friday, no matter what your drink of choice might be!

Did you celebrate National Rum Day? Will you this weekend??

If you're looking for more unique co*cktail recipes, check out this Cranberry Pomegranate Sparkler or this Grapefruit Blood Orange co*cktail.

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