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Grapefruit Cardamom Gin Fizz

Warm and woodsy, with a little prosecco sparkle and a splash of citrusy brightness, this cardamom & grapefruit gin fizz cocktail recipe is winter sunshine in a glass.

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2 glasses of Grapefruit Cardamom Gin Fizz with rosemary

A Celebration-Worthy Grapefruit Gin Fizz

Whether you’re celebrating Christmas Eve, or just the fact that you felt like making a cocktail, this bright and bubbly grapefruit gin fizz is definitely the festive drink you want to be toasting with. It might look a bit fussy—with a rosemary-infused simple syrup and a cardamom-infused gin—but it’s quite simple to make, really. And for a small cocktail party or a special occasion, it’s just the kind of drink we love to serve. The warm, wintery spice of cardamom-infused gin, the tart pucker that comes from freshly-squeezed grapefruit, the subtle earthiness of the rosemary syrup join forces to create magic in a glass. Fancy has a place, especially at the holidays and especially when in the form of the perfect cocktail, like this blushing grapefruit gin fizz!

rosemary simple syrup in a small white pan
rosemary simple syrup being strained into a glass jar

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Cardamom pods in Gin in a jar

Infused Gin: Really Easy To Make, and P.S. It Makes A Great, Easy DIY Holiday Gift!

The two DIY elements of this cocktail—the cardamom gin and the rosemary simple syrup—may sound like something you’d only ever find on the menu at a dimly lit, hard-to-get-in-to cocktail bar, but they’re actually super simple to make at home. In other words, all the fancy cocktail goodness that you love is easily within reach, with none of the waiting to get in, or having to wear actual pants! Unless, of course, you’re planning to drink this with friends at a cocktail party—in that case, we do recommend wearing actual, non-sweatpant pants. But we digress! Back to the infusing of the gin and simple syrup. Before we walk you through the process for making these two DIY ingredients, we pause for a little holiday season FYI! The cardamom gin and rosemary simple syrup both make really nice holiday gifts! Pour them into little air-tight mason jars and include the recipe for this cocktail with the two infusions, along with a bottle of prosecco, if you’re feeling really generous. OK, without further ado—here’s how to make cardamom gin and rosemary simple syrup:

For the cardamom gin:

  • You definitely want to use a gin that you like to drink, but this isn’t a moment for the absolute finest gin ever since you are going to infuse it and alter its flavor. We like to use a good quality, middle-shelf London dry gin for this, like Bombay Dry or Beefeater.
  • To make the cardamom gin, simply combine gin and whole cardamom pods in a jar, and let them sit for about 24 hours until the gin has taken on the fragrance of cardamom. Then, strain out the pods and your infused gin is ready to go!

For the rosemary simple syrup:

  • Simple syrup is—guess what?!—so simple. It’s all about knowing the ratio of sugar to water that is needed to make classic simple syrup and—see if you can remember this—that ratio is 1:1. Yep! Simple syrup is just a syrup made from a 1:1 combination of sugar and water that’s heated until the sugar has dissolved.
  • To infuse a simple syrup with rosemary, just pop a couple of rosemary sprigs into the sugar and water as they simmer. When the syrup is done, strain them out and you’ve got a gorgeously woodsy, wintery simple syrup. It’s delicious in mocktails, too! Try a little pour of it stirred into a festive mocktail made from fizzy water and a splash of cranberry juice. Our Spiced Bourbon Cocktail features an orange-cranberry simple syrup, for another great simple syrup recipe to try.
Grapefruits, Cardamom Gin and rosemary simple syrup cocktail
Grapefruits, Cardamom Gin and rosemary simple syrup cocktail

How To Make A Cardamom & Grapefruit Gin Fizz

Once you’ve got the infusions made, this grapefruit gin cocktail is super simple to make! Pro tip: If you’re only making one or two of these, you might want to buy a smaller amount of prosecco for making this cocktail—it’s pretty easy to find small half-bottles these days, or even small cans of prosecco, like this or this. Here’s how to mix up this yummy gin fizz recipe:

  1. Place lots of ice in a cocktail shaker—or you can use a large mason jar with a tight lid if you don’t have a shaker.
  2. Pour in the rosemary syrup, gin and grapefruit juice. Shake hard for about 30 seconds. A traditional gin fizz is super frothy, so lots of shaking give it that frothed up look. It’ll also ensure that the ingredients are well-mixed.
  3. Strain the cocktail into a glass filled with fresh ice.
  4. Top with a splash of prosecco, and serve!
champagne being poured into Grapefruit Cardamom Gin Fizz
rosemary simple syrup being poured into Grapefruit Cardamom Gin Fizz

Tools You’ll Need:

More Cocktail Recipes to Try

2 glasses of Grapefruit Cardamom Gin Fizz with rosemary
2 glasses of Grapefruit Cardamom Gin Fizz with rosemary

Bottom’s Up!

Cheers to you and yours! We hope this festive gin fizz perks up your celebrations, large and small. If you make it, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

Grapefruit Cardamom Gin Fizz

  • Serves: 4
  • Prep Time:  15 min
  • Cook Time:  5 min
  • Calories: 201

Ingredients

Cardamom Infused Gin

  • 1 cup gin
  • 6 cardamom pods

Rosemary Simple Syrup

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 rosemary sprigs

Gin Fizz

  • 4 ounces rosemary syrup
  • 6 ounces cardamom infused gin
  • 1 cup fresh grapefruit juice (from 2-3 grapefruits)
  • 4 ounces Prosecco, chilled
  • 4 Rosemary sprigs, for
  • 4 Grapefruit peels, for garnish

Method

  1. Make the cardamom infused gin. In a small jar combine the gin and cardamom pods. Seal and store for 24 hours.

  2. Make the rosemary simple syrup. In a small saucepan stir together the sugar, water, and 2 rosemary sprigs. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Discard the rosemary. Leftover simple syrup can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

  3. Make the gin fizz cocktail. In an ice filled cocktail shaker, combine 2 ounces of the rosemary syrup, 3 ounces of the infused gin, and ½ cup of the grapefruit juice. Cover with a lid and shake to combine, about 1 minute. Using a strainer, divide the drink into two ice filled glasses. Top with 1 ounce Prosecco each. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a grapefruit peel.

  4. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 2 more cocktails.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories201
  • Protein0 g
  • Carbohydrates26 g
  • Total Fat0 g
  • Dietary Fiber0 g
  • Cholesterol0 mg
  • sodium8 mg
  • Total Sugars26 g

Grapefruit Cardamom Gin Fizz

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Kiki

    Would it work to make a big batch of this for a party? How would you scale it up?

    Absolutely, we do it all the time! Just measure it per person in a punch bowl and serve over ice!

  • E

    Is there a way to make a large batch ahead of time?

    Absolutely, we do it all the time! Just measure it per person in a punch bowl and serve over ice!

  • Emily

    Where are these cute glasses from?!

    We found these at goodwill! Such a fun find!

  • Victoria

    Once prepared, how much of each ingredient do we use to make the cocktail? I'd like to add that to the gift tag.

    Each individual drink has 1 oz Rosemary syrup, 1.5 oz cardamom infused gin and 1/4 cup Grapefruit juice.

  • Heather

    Did you use green or black cardamom pods? Thanks

    Green

  • Mimi

    Beautiful drink! Such a unique combination that rivals the best cocktail at a fancy bar. I make a big batch of the cardamom gin to use throughout the festive season.

    Thanks Mimi! So happy to hear you love it!

  • VJ

    Made this for our Thanksgiving party last year. Takes a bit of prep, but it was a huge hit!

    Thanks VJ, so happy everyone loved it!

  • bookjunkie

    This drink is incredible. I love everything about it and I'm definitely not a drink person. This is a true winner. It's such an impressive yet simple drink, perfect for showing off to your friends. This will be a staple at my dinner parties. It's not too sweet, it's woodsy from the rosemary, and the cardamom adds a wonderful complexity. It pairs very well with a salty snack in my opinion, I grazed on pistachios and roasted seaweed while sipping this drink. The Modern Proper I am truly impressed with this recipe

    Yay!! So glad to hear you love it! It's one of our faves!