The Rhubarb Spring Fling Rum Cocktail is a fruity rum cocktail made with homemade rhubarb simple syrup.
spring rhubarb cocktail
My fresh rhubarb cocktail is made with rum, a homemade rhubarb simple syrup, and a hint of rosemary. I got inspired by a daiquiri recipe that appeared in Bon Appetit several years ago that paired the two. The earthy herb cuts the sweetness of the rhubarb and it is really unusual and delicious.
what you’ll need for a Spring Fling
- white rum
- rhubarb simple syrup
- fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, pink or white
- sprig rosemary, plus 1 for garnish
- lime wedge for garnish
RHUBARB SIMPLE SYRUP
- fresh rhubarb, chopped
- sugar
Rhubarb simple syrup is a snap to make. I chopped 2 stalks of rhubarb (about 2 cups) and added it to 1 1/2 cups water and 1 cup sugar in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer to remove all the rhubarb pulp, and return to the pan to reduce it a little further. Boil gently for about 8 minutes, until the syrup has reduced and has thickened a bit. I ended up with about 1 1/4 cups of syrup. The color is beautiful.
Let the syrup cool and then refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep at least a week, refrigerated. You can use it on pancakes, ice cream, granola, oatmeal, or just mix it with sparkling water to make your own rhubarb soda!
more rhubarb, please!
- Rhubarb Bread
- Old Fashioned Rhubarb Crunch
- Rhubarb Crumble Tart
- Easy Rhubarb Breakfast Cake
- Homemade Rhubarb Ice Cream
The Rhubarb Spring Fling
Ingredients
- 2 oz white rum
- 2 oz rhubarb simple syrup
- 2 oz fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, pink or white
- 1 small sprig rosemary, plus 1 for garnish
- lime wedge for garnish
rhubarb simple syrup
- 2 stalks fresh rhubarb, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Remove the leaves from a sprig of rosemary and muddle, or lightly crush them at the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Don’t press too hard, rosemary is a very pungent herb, and you don’t want it to overpower the drink. Add the rum, simple syrup and grapefruit juice. Add ice to fill the shaker and shake well, then strain over fresh ice in a tall glass. Garnish with a lime wedge and a fresh sprig of rosemary.
- To make the simple syrup, put the rhubarb, water and sugar in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Boil gently for about 10 minutes.
- Strain out the rhubarb, and put the syrup back on the stove to reduce a bit further. Boil gently for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the syrup is reduced to about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups.
- Let cool and then put in a container with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
Nutrition
A great recipe and very versatile! Making a second double batch! Made the cocktail with rum and also gin. Love the gin version. Added the syrup to soda water—awesome!
It just say two stalks for the syrup, about how much in cups or weight? I have thicker stalks and really thin ones, also some didn’t get very long.
I only had frozen rhubarb so it wasn’t as vivid a color, But good flavor. We had
no white rum so I used gin and Yum! The gin taste isn’t overpowering with this. I
wish I lived somewhere that rhubarb grows.
Yummy! I had a bumper crop of rhubarb this year so I ‘m always looking for new ways to use it. I can’t have grapefruit due to medications so I used lemon instead with a generous squeeze of lime. The second time I made the cocktail, rather than muddle rosemary leaves in the shaker, I “muddled” a spring of rosemary by whipping it back and forth between my hands and sticking in the glass. Pretty much the same effect and the rosemary sprig makes for a nice stirrer!
What a wonderful recipe and amazing photos too. Thanks so much for ALL of your fabulous Rhubarb Recipes that you have added to the Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round Up! Karen
And don’t you know I have the rhubarb in the back! Perfect. Especially for someone who has gone from a snowstorm to tornado weather is less than two weeks! Yep. I need a fling!