Jump to my Strawberry Spritz Recipe

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Strawberry Simple Syrup

Simple syrup, dissolved sugar in water, is an easy way to add sweetness to a cold drink. If you take it a step further and make an infused simple syrup, you will be surprised how much flavor you can add too! Simple syrup‘s are quick and easy to make, and can be used in cocktails, coffee, added to sparkling water, or really anywhere you want to impart natural sweetness.

This recipe will make about 8 oz, and you only need 1 for the recipe so if you have some remaining, I suggest storing it in an airtight container. It should last approximately 2 weeks, give or take.

The remaining cooked strawberry left in the strainer is perfect for making strawberry bread or adding to a bowl of oatmeal.

Strawberry Spritz Ingredients

• Fresh Strawberries: Used to make an easy strawberry simple syrup and garnish.
• Granulated Sugar: A key ingredient in every simple syrup.
• Prosecco: Any dry sparkling wine will do, but I’m partial to Prosecco in a spritz.
• Sparkling Water: I prefer Topo Chico.
• Lime: A well-balanced cocktail should have a hint of acid.
• Basil: It’s just a sprig as a garnish, but I promise you can taste a subtle hint of herb.

Recommended Tools to Make a Strawberry Spritz Cocktail

• Fine Mesh Sieve | Your kitchen may already be stocked with a strainer, but if not you’ll need a fine mesh version to strain the strawberry seeds and pulp.
• Wine Glasses | My glasses need to be multi-functional, so I use these gorgeous, European-made red wine glasses for spritz’ too.
• Glass Bottle | You will have about 8 oz. of simple syrup so store what you don’t use in the fridge.

Strawberry Spritz Cocktail Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

STRAWBERRY SIMPLE SYRUP:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup strawberries

COCKTAIL:

• 3 oz Prosecco
• 2 oz sparkling water
• 1 lime
• Spring of basil, for garnish
• 1 strawberry, for garnish

Directions

1. Place water, strawberries, and sugar in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil
2. Simmer for 10 minutes and rough-mash strawberries with a wooden spoon or meat masher.
3. Turn off the heat and let strawberries cool to room temperature and syrup to thicken for about 25 minutes
4. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve.
5. Fill the glass ½ full with ice. Add prosecco, sparkling water, and 1 oz. of strawberry simple syrup.
6. Finish with a squeeze of lime, a sprig of basil, and a sliced strawberry.
7. Enjoy!

More pretty cocktails to try:

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Jump to my Spiced Cranberry Pear Spritz Recipe

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Chai Simple Syrup

Masala Chai simple syrup is such a great addition to cocktails because it is an easy way to fuse many different spices. I had friends over while recipe testing who didn’t even like chai and liked the cocktail. If you aren’t a fan of chai, don’t let this scare you, just think of it as cinnamon, ginger, and more pre-mixed! It’s also great to have on hand to add to coffee or anywhere you’d want a flavored sweetener.

Spiced Cranberry Pear Spritz Ingredients

• Chai Tea Bag: Black tea with warm comforting spices. You’ll use this to make the simple syrup.
• Granulated Sugar: In most well-stocked pantries, you’ll use this for the simple syrup and the sugared cranberries.
• Vanilla Extract: The final ingredient in the simple syrup.
• Prosecco: Italian sparkling wine is traditional in a spritz, but feel free to use Champagne too.
• Pear Juice: Unsweetened and pear as the only ingredient.
• Cranberry Juice: Unsweetened and cranberry as the only ingredient.
• Soda Water: Added bubbles and cuts the alcohol which is great if you are having a few at a party.
• Fresh Cranberries: These will be sugared as garnish.
• Fresh Sprig of Rosemary: Pop of color and just a hint of herb.

What Tools Do You Need to Make a Spiced Cranberry Pear Spritz?

• Wine Glasses | A good-sized red wine glass pulls double duty for a spritz.
• Round Ice Cube Tray | Optional, but filled with cranberry juice they won’t water down the cocktail. Plus they’re cute!
• Glass Bottle | If you don’t use all the simple syrup in your cocktail, store it in the refrigerator for 2-4 weeks.

Spiced Cranberry Pear Spritz Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

CHAI SIMPLE SYRUP:

• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Masala Chai Tea Bags
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

COCKTAIL:

• 4 oz. Prosecco
• 1 oz. Simple Syrup
• 1 oz. Pear Juice
• 1 oz. Cranberry Juice (more if you’d like to make cranberry juice ice cubes)
• 1 oz. Soda Water

GARNISH: will make more than needed for one cocktail

• ⅔ cup Fresh Cranberries
• ¼ cup Granulated White Sugar

Directions

1. Add 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, and 2 tea bags to a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil.
2. Once boiling and the sugar has dissolved, turn off the heat, and add the vanilla and fresh cranberries.
3. Allow the tea bags and cranberries to steep for 10 minutes.
4. Remove tea bags and cranberries with a slotted spoon.
5. Place cranberries on parchment paper to dry out at room temperature for about an hour
6. Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature to thicken.
7. Once cranberries are dry, toss with ¼ cup sugar, and set aside.
8. Fill a wine glass ½ way with ice.
9. Add prosecco, pear juice, cranberry juice, and soda water. Garnish with three sugared cranberries and a sprig of fresh rosemary.
10. Enjoy!

Note: The sugared cranberry recipe is adapted from vanillaandbean.com

Tips

• Sugared cranberries can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
• I suggest preparing the sugared cranberries and chai simple syrup in advance.
• Brown sugar can be used in place of granulated sugar for the simple syrup
• If you need some brightness, add a squeeze of lemon juice. I find I don’t need it with the tart cranberries.

More Festive Winter Cocktails:

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The post Spiced Cranberry Pear Spritz – Easy Cocktail Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.

Jump to my Chai Pear Spritz Recipe

If you buy something through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support! See disclosure for details.

What is a Spritz?

Officially a spritz is an Italian cocktail made with Prosecco, bitters, and sparkling water. A spritz is often an aperitif, meant to be drunk before a meal, and has a lower alcohol content. The most popular spritz in recent years has been an Aperol Spritz (check out my mocktail version), but different variations have become increasingly popular.

In this recipe, the chai tea serves as the bitter component, although it’s made into a simple syrup so the flavor is balanced.

What is Chai Tea?

Fun fact: “Chai” translates to “Tea” in Hindi. It’s not a type of tea which is a common misconception in the U.S. What many people in the U.S. think of as chai is masala chai. Masala translates to spice in Hindi. So technically masala chai is spice tea, and that’s precisely what it is, black tea made with spices. Usually, the spices are composed of cardamom, black pepper, ginger, and cinnamon.

I have chosen to use masala chai in the recipe, but you can always use black tea and add the spices to the boiling water. You’ll just need to strain the tea and spices after steeping.

Chai Simple Syrup

I don’t love using hard-to-find liqueurs so I impart a lot of my flavor with infused simple syrup. It’s so easy to make and you know exactly what’s in it. The chai tea simple syrup used in this chai tea spritzer has a lot of flavor and would be great to use later in oatmeal, smoothies, or mixed with sparkling water. The recipe makes 8 oz and you’ll only use 1-2 oz for each cocktail so if you have some remaining, store it in a glass airtight container in the fridge.

What Tools Do You Need to Make a Chai Pear Spritz?

• Ice Cube Mold | The larger the ice cube the slower the ice will water down the drink. Plus square ice cubes are just prettier.
• Jigger | Part of every well-equipped bar.
• Glass Bottle | This recipe will be 8 oz of simple syrup. If you don’t use it all for cocktails now store the remaining in a glass bottle in the fridge. It should last two to four weeks.

Chai Pear Spritz Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

CHAI SIMPLE SYRUP

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 masala chai tea bags
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

CHAI PEAR SPRITZ

• 3 oz. prosecco
• 2 oz. pear juice (pear as the only ingredient)
• 1-2 oz. chai simple syrup
• 1 oz. sparkling water
• Pear, for garnish
• Star anise, for garnish

Directions

1. Add 1 cup of water, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and chai tea bags to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Once boiling and the sugar has dissolved, turn off the heat, add the vanilla, and let the tea bags steep for 10 minutes.
3. Remove tea bags and let the syrup cool to room temperature; this will take about 15 additional minutes.
4. Add prosecco, pear juice, sparkling soda water, and 1 to 2 oz (depending on how sweet you like it) the a glass. Stir, and add ice.
5. Garnish with pear slices and star anise.

Tips

• Can substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar if that is what you have on hand
• If using one oz of simple syrup is too sweet, add a little fresh lemon juice

More Bubbly Cocktails:

Limoncello Inspired Spritz

Passion Fruit Martini

Strawberry Champagne

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

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The post Spiced Chai Pear Spritz Recipe (Fall Bubbly Cocktail) appeared first on Very Obsessed.

Jump to my Limoncello Spritz Recipe

If you buy something through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support! See disclosure for details.

What is a Spritz?

Officially a spritz is an Italian cocktail made with Prosecco, bitters, and sparkling water. Many times a spritz is an aperitif, meant to be drunk prior to a meal, and has a lower alcohol content. The most popular spritz in recent years has been an Aperol Spritz (check out my mocktail version), but Limoncello Sprtizes have also become mainstream for those looking for something less bitter.

While lemon leans more sour rather than bitter, these days any alcoholic beverage lightened up with soda water is typically considered a spritz.

What is Limoncello?

Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur digestif, made with lemons, sugar, and alcohol and aged for several weeks. It is strong and is meant to be sipped, and served ice cold. What’s so interesting about a limoncello spritz is that a spritz is generally an aperitif, and limoncello is generally a digestif, so here you have the best of both worlds and I say drink it whenever you’d like!

I don’t tend to buy specialty liquors, I rarely go through an entire bottle, so I’ve created this recipe using lemons, sugar, and alcohol. Does this sound familiar to Limoncello ingredients? I much prefer this method because I can control how sweet the limoncello is and the quality of the alcohol.

What Tools Do You Need to Make a Limoncello Spritz?

• Fine-Mesh Strainer | This will be needed to strain the lemon peel from the simple syrup. If you don’t already have a sieve, I love this set of three in different sizes.
• Jigger | Part of any well-equipped bar.
• Glass Bottle | This recipe will be 4 oz of simple syrup. If you don’t use it all for cocktails now store the remaining in a glass bottle in the fridge. It should last one to two weeks.

Limoncello Spritz Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

LEMON VANILLA SIMPLE SYRUP

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 large lemons
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

LIMONCELLO (INSPIRED) SPRITZ

• 1 oz vodka
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 3 oz Prosecco
• 1 oz sparkling water
• 1 lemon (for garnish)

Directions

1. Add ½ cup of lemon juice from 3 large lemons and ½ cup of granulated sugar to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the vanilla and peel from the 3 lemons and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes, allowing the syrup to thicken.
3. Remove from heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature which will take about 25 minutes.
4. Once the syrup has cooled, place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl (I like to use this measuring cup since it has a spout) and pour the syrup through leaving the lemon peel in the sieve.
5. Add ice to a glass with vodka, simple syrup, and Prosecco
6. Top with sparkling water and throw in some lemon slices for a garnish
7. Enjoy!

More Refreshing Cocktails:

Limoncello Martini

Banana Old Fashioned Recipe

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

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The post Limoncello Spritz Inspired Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.

Jump to my Passion Fruit Martini Recipe

If you buy something through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support! See disclosure for details.

What is Passion Fruit?

Passion Fruit is a kiwi-sized fruit, that can be round or oval, may be green or red, but the inside looks like the inside of a pomegranate with its seeds. Passion fruit has a citrus flavor, and depending on when you eat it can be quite tart or sweet. According to Wikipedia, it is a ‘rich source of vitamin C.’

The fruit itself can be a little tricky to find in a regular grocery store, so I am using store-bought juice in this recipe. I found some fruit at Whole Foods but each one was over $5 and you need to juice quite a few to get enough for a cocktail.

Ingredients Needed for a Passion Fruit Martini

• Passion Fruit Juice – It can be difficult to find 100% passion fruit juice. Difficult and expensive. I used this and although it’s a juice blend, it’s 100% juice and tastes delicious.
• Prosecco – Use any dry sparkling white wine. I used Prosecco for this but you can easily swap for Champagne. Note: a Porn Star martini has this ingredient as a sidecar, meant to be sipped in between sips of the martini. I top the martini with the Prosecco and am obsessed with it this way!
• Lime – Every good cocktail needs a bit of citrus. Passion Fruit pairs beautifully with lime.
• Vodka – Martini’s must be made with Vodka or Gin but Gin would overpower the delicate flavor. Vodka is the way to go here.
• Granulated Sugar – This will be needed to make the simple syrup. If you already have some on hand, you won’t need this or the vanilla extract.
• Vanilla Extract – If you search for a Porn Star Martini many use Vanilla Vodka. I prefer to keep fewer alcohols on hand and make simple syrup to infuse flavor, which is what this recipe calls for.

What Tools Do You Need to Make a Passion Fruit Martini?

• Glasses | I love these glasses for Martinis and Champagne. They’re so versatile!
• Jigger | Part of any well-equipped bar.
• Glass Bottle | This recipe will be 8 oz of simple syrup. If you don’t use it all for cocktails now store the remaining in a glass bottle in the fridge. It should last one to two weeks.

Passion Fruit Martini Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 oz vodka
• 2 oz passion fruit juice
• ½ oz freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 oz sparkling white wine (champagne or prosecco)

Directions

1. Bring sugar, vanilla, and 1 cup of water to a boil on the stovetop.
2. Once the sugar has dissolved, simmer for 10 minutes for the syrup to thicken.
3. Turn off the burner and let the syrup come to room temperature (should take about 20 minutes)
4. Add ½ oz vanilla simple syrup, vodka, passion fruit juice, and lime juice to a martini shaker and add ice
5. Shake for approximately 12 seconds, enough to get a nice foam on the top and your hand to be very cold
6. Pour the martini into a glass, draining the ice
7. Top with sparkling white wine

More Fruity Martinis:

Creamsicle Martini

Key Lime Martini

Limoncello Martini

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

Pin this post and save it for later! Don’t forget to connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest!

The post Passion Fruit Martini Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.