A few weeks ago, my mom spoiled my sisters and I with a trip to Miraval Austin for a few days of relaxation, meditation, and pampering. She’s created this tradition of going to destination spas together which began when each of us graduated from high school and I can think of no more amazing tradition to have between mother and daughters. My girls can bet they’ll have a similar tradition with me someday.
We had all been to Miraval in Tucson before, but their newest Austin resort just opened within the last year, so it was exciting to experience a brand new spot. Upon our arrival, we were given the signature Miraval Austin Welcome Drink and while I could ramble on and on about how wonderful the entire resort and our time there was, this post is about the infamous drink that we all became obsessed with during our stay.
Nonalcoholic in the original form, we loved it so much that we decided to adapt it for our poolside happy hours by splashing some vodka in there, so know as you’re contemplating trying this one that it can easily be made and enjoyed virgin or for the 21 and up crowd.
Welcome Drink
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 1/4 cup Rosemary or Lavender leaves (Rosemary original recipe)
- 2 oz Vodka
- 1.5 oz Grapefruit Juice
- 1 tsp Lime Juice
- 2 oz Club Soda
- 2 tsp Prepared Simple Syrup
- Rosemary or Lavender for garnish
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan, combine water, sugar, and rosemary/lavender leaves. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let syrup steep, about 30 minutes. (Do this step ahead, and save in refrigerator for up to one month).
- Combine all ingredients with ice and stir. Garnish with a sprig of your herb.
These measurements are all best guesses, so play with it! Adjust the simple syrup to your sweetness preference, adjust the grapefruit to your tartness preference. No rules, all personal preference.
Now for all my herb enthusiasts reading this, you will notice I give you two different options for your simple syrup and garnish. The ORIGINAL recipe calls for ROSEMARY simple syrup. I actually had fresh lavender in my container garden when I made my at-home version, though, so I decided to use what was left of that before Old Man Winter showed up and I can confidently say the beverage works both ways.
I hope you try the cocktail (or mocktail) and let me know what you think! You will be the hostess with the mostest when you greet your guests with one of these babies in hand. Also, if you’re shopping for a hard-to-buy-for gentleman (or lady!) this Christmas, I highly recommend kicking it old school with some gorgeous crystal old fashioned glasses. I got these for Stockton a few Christmases ago and he loves them. They’re heavy, they’re gorgeous, they feel like a million bucks and will make any cocktail look (and maybe even taste) better.
C H E E R S!
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