Stir 30 ml (1 oz) rosemary simple syrup with 60 ml (2 oz) pure pomegranate juice over ice in a wine glass, then top with 90 ml (3 oz) chilled prosecco. Float a spoonful of pomegranate arils and tuck in a rosemary sprig. Swap the prosecco for soda water and a splash of lemon for an alcohol-free version from the same base.
The doorbell goes, coats come off, and someone needs a drink in their hand within a minute. That’s the job of this pomegranate rosemary spritz recipe. The base of rosemary syrup and pomegranate juice waits in a pitcher in the fridge, and the prosecco only gets opened when people walk in.
It’s tart, a little piney and bright ruby in the glass. A holiday drink with no cinnamon in sight.
What makes a spritz a spritz?
A spritz is wine stretched with something sparkling and given a flavor. The usual story puts its start in the Veneto of the 1800s, when Austrian visitors under Habsburg rule asked for a splash of water in the strong local wine. The bitter-orange version most people know arrived after the Padua and Venice aperitifs Aperol and Select were launched around 1919 and 1920.
This drink keeps that shape and swaps the players. Pomegranate juice brings the fruit and the slightly bitter, tannic edge Aperol usually covers. Rosemary syrup brings the sweetness and the aroma. Prosecco does what it always does.
If you like the format, these aperitivo hour ideas build a whole evening around it.
The ten-minute rule for rosemary syrup
Steep the rosemary for ten minutes, off the heat, with a lid on. Then take it out.
Rosemary is one of the most aggressive herbs you can put in sugar. Five minutes gives you almost nothing. Fifteen and the syrup tastes like cough drops. In professional kitchens we infused herb oils and syrups on a timer for exactly this reason, because the jump from good to medicinal happens fast and you can’t take it back.
Use fresh sprigs only. Dried rosemary in hot syrup tastes like dust and pine needles. Two or three 10 cm (4 inch) sprigs per batch is plenty, and if you have a bunch left over, here’s how to store fresh herbs so they last into the next week.
Which pomegranate juice and which bubbles?
Buy juice that says 100% pomegranate on the label. If the ingredients list starts with apple or grape juice, it’s a blend, and it’ll make the drink sweet and thin. Proper pomegranate juice is dark, tart and a little drying on the tongue, almost like a light red wine.
For the bubbles, prosecco labeled Brut or Extra Dry is the sweet spot. Confusingly, “Dry” on a prosecco label is sweeter than both, so skip it. Cava works and drinks a bit drier and sharper. Champagne is lovely and mostly wasted under pomegranate juice; save it for drinking on its own. Moscato and other sweet sparkling wines make the whole thing cloying.
The arils are what make it look like a celebration. Seeding a whole pomegranate is easy if you do it underwater: as NC State Extension explains in its guide to pulling a pomegranate apart in cold water, the arils sink and the pith floats. Tubs of ready-seeded arils or frozen ones are fine too.
How do you batch a pomegranate spritz for a party?
Mix the syrup and the juice ahead, never the prosecco. Bubbles in a pitcher are flat within half an hour.
For 8 drinks you need 240 ml (8 oz) rosemary syrup and 480 ml (16 oz) pomegranate juice in a pitcher, plus one 750 ml bottle of prosecco. The syrup can be made up to three weeks ahead, the syrup-and-juice base up to 24 hours ahead. At serving time, pour the base over ice in each glass and top with prosecco. For 12, scale up by half and open a second bottle.
Set out a bowl of arils and a handful of rosemary sprigs so guests garnish their own; it saves you ten minutes of fiddling. A glass dispenser keeps the base cold and self-serve, and these drink dispensers and pitchers are sized for exactly this.
For a mixed crowd, fill two pitchers from the same base. Top one with prosecco and the other with cold soda water plus 5 ml (1 teaspoon) fresh lemon juice per glass, which replaces the acidity the wine was bringing. Same garnish, same color, nobody feels left out.
Four ways to change it up
Add a gin float
Pour 15 ml (0.5 oz) London dry gin into the glass before the prosecco. Juniper and rosemary are close relatives in flavor, and the drink gets more backbone.
Finish with orange peel
Twist a wide strip of orange peel over the glass, rub it around the rim and drop it in. Orange oil ties the fruit and the herb together better than lemon does.
Use frozen arils as ice
Spread arils on a parchment-lined tray, freeze for two hours, then bag them. About 2 tablespoons per glass chills the drink, adds color and doesn’t water anything down.
Swap to cava
Cava has a firmer, finer fizz and less fruit than prosecco. The spritz comes out brisker and slightly less sweet, which suits a crowd that likes dry drinks.
Recipe: pomegranate rosemary spritz
Prep time: 10 minutes. Total time: 25 minutes including cooling the syrup. Serves: 1 (scales to 8 to 12).
Ingredients for the rosemary syrup
- 240 ml (1 cup) water
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 2 to 3 fresh rosemary sprigs, each about 10 cm (4 inches) long
Ingredients for each glass
- 30 ml (1 oz) rosemary simple syrup
- 60 ml (2 oz) 100% pure pomegranate juice, cold
- 90 ml (3 oz) prosecco, chilled
- Ice
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate arils
- 1 small fresh rosemary sprig
Instructions
- Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear, about 3 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat, drop in the rosemary, cover with a lid and steep for exactly 10 minutes.
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean jar, pressing the sprigs lightly. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
- Fill a stemmed wine glass with ice. Add the rosemary syrup and pomegranate juice and stir once.
- Pour the prosecco slowly down the inside of the glass so it keeps its fizz, then give one gentle lift with a bar spoon from the bottom up.
- Float the arils on top, slide the rosemary sprig down the side and serve straight away.
Notes
Rosemary syrup keeps about 3 weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge. Freeze it in an ice cube tray for longer storage, up to about 3 months.
For a pitcher of 8: 240 ml syrup and 480 ml pomegranate juice, topped glass by glass with one 750 ml bottle of prosecco.
Pomegranate spritz questions
What’s the difference between a spritz and a spritzer?
A spritz is an Italian-style aperitif of sparkling wine, a flavoring such as a bitter liqueur or juice, and often soda, served over ice. A spritzer is simply wine topped with soda water. The spritz is a built cocktail; the spritzer is a longer, lighter wine drink.
Can I make a pomegranate rosemary spritz without alcohol?
Yes, replace the prosecco with the same amount of cold soda water and add a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. The lemon puts back the acidity the wine was providing. Garnish it the same way.
What pomegranate juice is best for cocktails?
The best pomegranate juice for cocktails is 100% pure juice with no added sugar or other fruit juices. Blends and cocktail mixers are much sweeter and throw off the balance. Check that pomegranate is the only ingredient.
Can I use Champagne or cava instead of prosecco?
Yes, both work. Cava makes a drier, sharper spritz, while Champagne adds toasty notes that mostly get lost under the juice. Avoid sweet sparkling wines such as moscato or demi-sec.
How long does rosemary simple syrup last?
Rosemary simple syrup lasts about 3 weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge. The flavor softens a little after two weeks. Frozen in ice cube trays, it keeps for around 3 months.
Key takeaways
- Steep fresh rosemary off the heat for 10 minutes, no longer, or the syrup turns medicinal.
- Use 100% pomegranate juice and a Brut or Extra Dry prosecco.
- Each glass is 30 ml syrup, 60 ml juice and 90 ml prosecco over ice.
- Batch the syrup and juice up to a day ahead; add the bubbles only at serving.
- Soda water plus a teaspoon of lemon turns the same base into a mocktail.
Set up the bar before the doorbell rings
Make the syrup this week, mix the base the morning of the party and chill the prosecco overnight. Then all that’s left is ice, a pour and a sprig. Put out something salty next to it, like the cheeses and cured meats on this winter food board, and the first hour of your party takes care of itself.
Pomegranate Rosemary Spritz
A pomegranate rosemary spritz recipe is rosemary-infused simple syrup, pure pomegranate juice, and chilled prosecco, built in a stemmed wine glass with pomegranate arils and a rosemary sprig as garnish.
Ingredients
- 240 ml (1 cup) water
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 2 to 3 fresh rosemary sprigs, each about 10 cm (4 inches) long
- 30 ml (1 oz) rosemary simple syrup, from above
- 60 ml (2 oz) 100% pure pomegranate juice, cold
- 90 ml (3 oz) prosecco, chilled, to top
- Ice, to fill
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate arils, to float
- 1 small fresh rosemary sprig, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the syrup. In a small saucepan, combine 240 ml (1 cup) water and 200 g (1 cup) sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely, about 3 minutes.
- Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean jar, pressing the sprigs lightly. Discard the sprigs. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. It keeps about 3 weeks in a sealed jar.
- To build a single drink: fill a stemmed wine glass with ice. Add 30 ml (1 oz) rosemary syrup and 60 ml (2 oz) cold pomegranate juice, then stir once with a bar spoon.
- Top with 90 ml (3 oz) chilled prosecco, poured slowly down the side of the glass so the bubbles survive. Give it one slow stir from bottom to top.
- Float 1 tablespoon pomegranate arils on top, slide a small rosemary sprig down the side, and serve.
Notes
Steep time is the make-or-break for this drink. Ten minutes off the heat gives a clean herbal syrup that reads pine forest, not cough medicine. Fifteen minutes is too much; five minutes leaves no flavor. Set a timer.
For a batch of 8: 240 ml (8 oz) rosemary syrup, 480 ml (16 oz) pomegranate juice, 1 bottle (750 ml) prosecco, built in a pitcher just before serving. Pour over ice in individual glasses. Do not pre-mix the prosecco; bubbles die in a pitcher within 30 minutes.
Last update on 2026-10-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API