Fireside Cocktail

This Fireside Cocktail is made with smoked rosemary, blood orange, vodka, Campari, and rosemary simple syrup. It's basically an Italian Greyhound cocktail, but with blood orange instead of grapefruit! It's smoky, slightly sweet and slightly bitter.

This cocktail is perfect for sipping by a fire (hence the name) – it's smoky, sweet and made with some of my favorite winter produce!

It's very similar to an Italian Greyhound cocktail, but our version is made with blood orange juice instead of grapefruit, and a homemade rosemary simple syrup. The end result is a bit sweeter, and by smoking the glass with rosemary, it's ideal for fall or winter.

If you're looking for more easy holiday cocktail recipes, try our Cranberry Orange Whiskey Cocktail or our Pomegranate Moscow Mule.

Jump to:

• Fireside Cocktail Ingredients
• How to Make this Fireside Cocktail Recipe
• What to Serve with this Fireside Cocktail
• Storage
• Tips and FAQ
• Top tip
• More holiday cocktail recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

Fireside Cocktail Ingredients

• Blood Orange Juice: We juice fresh blood oranges to make this cocktail! If you can't find any, feel free to substitute with another variety of orange, like Cara Cara, or even grapefruit.
• Campari: Campari is a bitter, bright red Italian liqueur made with an infusion of herbs and fruit. You can also use Aperol for a less intense flavor.
• Vodka: This Fireside Cocktail also tastes great with gin.
• Rosemary simple syrup: You just need 3 ingredients to make this – water, sugar and fresh rosemary. It only takes a few minutes of hands on work, and then you just have to let the syrup steep to infuse the flavor. If you would prefer a less herbal cocktail, you can just use regular simple syrup.
• Rosemary: You will also need fresh rosemary for smoking your cocktail glass. We also like to add some for garnish.

How to Make this Fireside Cocktail Recipe

STEP 1: Add the water, sugar and rosemary to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes before straining out the rosemary. Let cool completely before using in this cocktail. 

STEP 2: For best results, chill your cocktail glass for 15 minutes before smoking. Place a small sprig of rosemary on a heat-safe plate. Light the rosemary with a lighter, then place the glass over the rosemary to capture the smoke for 1 minute. 

STEP 3: Fill glass with a few large ice cubes. Pour in the vodka, Campari, blood orange juice and rosemary simple syrup and stir to combine. Garnish with rosemary and enjoy!

What to Serve with this Fireside Cocktail

Enjoy this festive Fireside Cocktail with easy holiday appetizers like:

• Gougeres
• Carrot and Roasted Red Pepper Feta Dip
• Rosemary Olive Oil Crackers
• Burrata, Prosciutto and Poached Pear Salad

Storage

Like any cocktail with freshly squeezed citrus juice, this Fireside Cocktail tastes best fresh. However, you can keep it stored in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Stir well again before serving.

Keep any leftover rosemary simple syrup stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Tips and FAQ

More tips

• For the smoothest cocktail, strain the freshly squeezed blood orange juice through a fine mesh sieve to remove and pulp and/or seeds.
• You may have to light the rosemary sprig for about 30 seconds or so to get a good amount of smoke.
• The longer the cocktail glass is over the smoking rosemary, the more smoked flavor it will have. For a less smoky cocktail, don't let it go past 30 seconds.

More holiday cocktail recipes

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

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