Rosemary-Pomegranate Soda

There are plenty of good reasons not to drink alcohol—health concerns, social obligations and financial limitations are all compelling reasons to avoid the hard stuff. And, really, no one requires a reason to choose not to drink alcohol. However, avoiding consumption can bring up its own complications, and one of those is a lack of enjoyable beverages to replace the ones made with booze. While alcohol has its many downsides, a cocktail is a special thing, and its complexities and flavors can be difficult to replicate in zero-proof form.

Luckily, bartenders these days are more aware of guests’ desire to have low and no-proof cocktails on the menu. One such person is Nic Sims, a former chef and bartender who created the Rosemary-Pomegranate Soda as an alternative to boozier highballs. His creation is a complex and delicious drink that is easy to prepare at home.

Juicy, rich and crimson with the right balance of sweetness, earthiness and tartness, pomegranate juice is an excellent base for a non-alcoholic drink. Normally, the drink calls for an ounce of the homemade rosemary simple syrup, but you can adjust proportions for your preferred level of sweetness. Add extra pomegranate juice to up the tartness and juiciness, or simply cut back the simple syrup for drier beverage.

Rosemary is the perfect herb to infuse in the sugar syrup for this drink, but it can be fun to experiment with other fresh herbs. Thyme, basil, mint, sage and lavender all make lovely syrups. But not all of them go well with pomegranate juice. So it’s best to mix and match to determine which herbs do, and which would go better with citrus or plain club soda. Furthermore, while the recipe for rosemary simple syrup uses brown sugar, other herbs might fare better when paired with white cane sugar or even honey or agave.

If you do choose to imbibe spirits, the rosemary simple syrup will serve well in other drinks, such as the Rosemary Paloma.