Gin and tonic, but make it special – we're loving this summery twist on this classic drink

Gin and tonic with lemon and rosemary in a glass with a jug of ice water in the background on a green and white gingham tablecloth.

Elevate a gin and tonic with a syrup infused with strips of lemon zest and sprigs of rosemary. It keeps for ages and can be added to sparkling water for a soft drink as well as gin and vodka, and makes the perfect sip to enjoy with our summer lunch recipes.

Ingredients

• Six unwaxed lemons, juiced and peeled
• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• 2 large rosemary sprigs
• Gin or vodka with tonic – or sparkling water

The Homes & Gardens method

(Image credit: Future/Emma Lee)

1. Place the lemon juice and zest (use something like this OXO Good Grips Swivel Vegetable Peeler from Amazon) in a pan with the sugar.
2. Reduce on a medium heat until syrupy – this will take around 30 minutes. 
3. Store in a bottle with the rosemary. This air tight Kilner swing top bottle from Amazon looks lovely as well as being practical.
4. Serve a slug of the syrup with gin and tonic, vodka and tonic or sparkling water, to taste.

Looking for more drink ideas to serve this summer? How about our fruit and herb cooler which is a little more special for the non drinkers, or this sherry cosmopolitan, which is a vibrant pink that looks so pretty on the table.