(Sugar-Free) Vanilla Rosemary Soda

The first sunny weeks of the season finally hit Seattle. And, apparently, it's all we can talk about right now.

Last weekend I spent all day sitting on my back porch working on my laptop under the shield of an umbrella. Somehow a three-inch section of my wrist didn't quite make it under the shade and now I have a funky tan rectangle on my arm. I like to think of it as my Vitamin D patch.

Before we get to today's recipe, I just wanted to say thank you again to everyone who joined us the other night for Conscious Money, Conscious Eating. I teach a lot of classes in Seattle, but this was my first time doing a workshop where I didn't get to see you all face-to-face! I loved all of the emails and responses we got about the material we covered and it's so great to hear that it's already changing the way many of you are planning, prepping meals, and cooking at home! Awesome! (Psst, if you're sad that you missed out, you can actually purchase the webinar recording package-- which includes our awesome 55-page ebook! Details here.)

Now, onto the most amazing drink that only takes 3 ingredients to make!  This one is going to be a must-make as we head into late spring and summer!

This soda starts with a simple rosemary tea made from boiling water with fresh sprigs of rosemary. I love the taste of rosemary in drinks, especially combined with a little sparking water and vanilla.  Yum!

To make this "soda" sugar-free, I used vanilla stevia drops as a sweetener. If you prefer not to use stevia, then pure maple syrup or a little coconut sugar will also do the trick! If you are going this route, then you will need to add a vanilla bean when you boil the rosemary to infuse the vanilla flavor.

Once you boil the rosemary tea, simply let it cool in the fridge (I like to make a big batch and let it cool overnight) and then assemble your drinks with a little ice, sparkling water, and stevia to taste. You can add more or less rosemary tea depending on your preference. (I really like the flavor of rosemary so I tend to add more to my glass.) 

And, if you are into this kind of thing, this recipe is fabulous with burbon. But, if you're not, then you didn't hear that from me. :)

Vanilla Rosemary Soda
Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 medium (about 3-inch) sprigs of fresh rosemary
1.5 cups of (filtered) water
48 ounces sparkling water
Vanilla stevia drops (to taste)
Ice

Directions:

Add rosemary and filtered water to a pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep for about 20 minutes. Remove rosemary sprigs then transfer to a glass jar and allow to cool in the refrigerator.

Add about 2 - 4 tablespoons of  rosemary tea to a glass with ice. Top with 8 ounces of sparkling water and add stevia or desired sweetener to taste.


Recipe shared at Wellness Weekend