There’s nothing like an ice cold, refreshing cocktail in the heat of summer, am I right? It was 100 degrees today in Portland and that temperature is apparently supposed to continue for the next few days so….. a refreshing drink is a must! I was so excited to work on this cocktail creation not only for the reasons mentioned, but also because I was excited to create a tasty drink with The Bitter Housewife’s amazing bitters and syrup! In this recipe for a Bourbon Citrus Rosemary Sour, I’ve used two of my favorite products, the Raft Citrus Rosemary Syrup alongside the Orange Bitters.
Bitters are a mixture of botanicals, roots, and spices steeped in a spirit base. Generally only a dash is called for because of their concentrated flavor.
It’s amazing how easy it can be to make a signature craft cocktail at home when you have amazing base products that are ready to go, and The Bitter Housewife crafts just that : small batch, hand crafted bitters made right here in Portland using real ingredients (no artificial flavors or extracts). If you don’t know much about bitters, Genevieve (owner of TBH) says it well here :
Many bartenders call bitters the salt and pepper of cocktails, but I think of them as the spice rack. Bitters have the ability to heighten certain flavors in booze and mixers, while also softening others. They even have the power to bring slightly disparate flavors into harmony. Much like seasoning a soup, think of the flavors in your cocktail you want to play up or compliment when reaching for a bottle of bitters.
I love this cocktail because there’s only a couple of additional ingredients added beyond The Bitter Housewife’s products used. This drink is refreshing and slightly sweet, but not overly as the citrus really pulls through. The sugared rosemary is the perfect last addition. I hope you have time to make this over the weekend; there’s only a few weeks left of summer, so make sure to do something fun!
You can order The Bitter Housewife products online at this link, and also in stores, noted here.
Serves 2
Prepare rosemary garnish by rinsing and patting rosemary sprigs dry, set aside. Fill a small plate with sugar. Crack and separate an egg, reserving the egg white in a small bowl. With a pastry brush, brush rosemary sprigs with egg white and then roll in sugar. Set aside to dry at room temperature for 20 minutes minimum. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add bourbon, both syrups, orange juice and shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Pour into a cocktail glass and top with bitters and dried sugared rosemary garnish. Enjoy!
