Recipe Background
A Winter Spritz blends bourbon with mint and berry juices for a refreshing, seasonal toast.
Late last winter, just before the world woke up to spring, I found myself celebrating a personal milestone in the quiet company of my cozy apartment. A freshly signed book deal deserved a toast, and I wanted something that felt both celebratory and comforting. The Winter Spritz was born from my desire to capture the essence of the season—crisp, bold, and with a hint of renewal. I always kept a bottle of bourbon on hand, not just for drinks but to savor its comforting warmth in a splashy sip. The cranberry and pomegranate juices were remnants from my previous culinary experiments, lending a tart contrast that teased out the bourbon’s caramel notes brilliantly.
Mint grows wildly in my tiny window garden, bending towards the sunlight even on the frostiest of days. It’s a personal ritual to make a simple syrup from those abundant leaves. The aromatic burst of mint when you boil it with sugar in a little water feels like a promise of spring, while the mint simple syrup brought a surprising freshness to the drink. My advice when making it is to stir continuously as the mixture heats. Let the syrup cool completely and remove the mint leaves to keep the flavor clean and crisp.
As I strained the cool mint-bourbon concoction over ice, I took a moment to marvel at the deep red hue shimmering in the glass—a reflection of new beginnings. Garnished with a sprig of mint, it was the perfect celebration of a quiet victory, at once uplifting and serene.
Ingredients
For the mint simple syrup:
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 bunch mint leaves
For the spritz:
- ice cubes to taste
- 2 1/2 ounces bourbon
- 1 ounce cranberry juice
- 1 ounce pomegranate juice
- fresh mint leaves optional to taste, for garnish
Directions
- In a small saucepan over high heat, add the granulated sugar, the water, and 1 bunch of the mint leaves and bring the mixture to a boil, while stirring constantly.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture has thickened slightly into a syrup.
- Allow the mint simple syrup to cool completely for at least 15 minutes.
- Strain the mint leaves out of the simple syrup.
- In a cocktail shaker, add the ice.
- Add the bourbon, 1 1/2 ounces of the mint simple syrup, the cranberry juice, and the pomegranate juice to the cocktail shaker, cover, and shake for 30 seconds. Refrigerate the remaining mint simple syrup and reserve for another use.
- In a serving glass, add more of the ice.
- Strain the cocktail over the ice in the serving glass.
- Serve garnished with the extra mint leaves.
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