Rhubarb, Grapefruit and Thyme Cocktails

Rhubarb, Grapefruit and Thyme Cocktails

Rhubarb, Grapefruit and Thyme CocktailsMaking this post has been a learning process. I think I’m better at learning by trying things rather than reading about them so I hope I’ll be able to pull off the next cocktail I make with a bit more finesse.

I did manage to pick up on the fact that the zest should be peeled a LOT thicker than I had been doing so for the photo below. So uh, if you’re planning on ever doing the curly zest thing, make sure you peel it thickly (get a bit of pith on it ) then curl it around the handle of a wooden spoon and leave it to sit for a while before using as a garnish.

Also a tip I learned: Don’t have a cocktail in the afternoon when you have other things to do. It’ll turn figuring out how to fix a computer monitor into a much longer feat.

Rhubarb, Grapefruit and Thyme CocktailsThe basis of the drink is grapefruit juice mixed with a rhubarb syrup that I jazzed up with a few strips of grapefruit peel and some sprigs of thyme. It is the most gorgeous colour and I imagine doesn’t need to be used exclusively for boozy drinks, but would be dreamy mixed with a bit of sparkling water for a fizzy, non-alcoholic drink.

Anyway the syrup and juice are shaken up with vodka and ice to make a very pretty concoction. The rhubarb is a welcome background note here – at first I thought I couldn’t actually taste it but the more I sipped the more fruity, complex flavours I could taste underneath the grapefruit twang.

Rhubarb, Grapefruit and Thyme Cocktails

Rhubarb, Grapefruit and Thyme Cocktails

Rhubarb, Grapefruit and Thyme Cocktails

Rhubarb, Grapefruit and Thyme Cocktails

Rhubarb, Grapefruit and Thyme Cocktails

5 from 1 vote
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Course: Drinks
Servings: 2 drinks

Ingredients

  • 2 fl oz , (60 ml) Rhubarb-Grapefruit syrup (recipe follows)
  • 2 fl oz , (60 ml) vodka
  • 2 fl oz , (60 ml) freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
  • ice

Rhubarb-Grapefruit Syrup:

  • 2 cups (220 g) rhubarb chopped into ~2-inch pieces
  • rind of half a grapefruit , , peeled into ~2-inch strips
  • 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) water

Instructions

  • Place the syrup, vodka and grapefruit juice into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake for 15 seconds. Strain the mixture over ice into two glasses. Garnish with the grapefruit zest and thyme sprigs, if desired.

For the syrup:

  • To make the syrup combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over a high heat stirring just until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and leave to simmer until the rhubarb is falling apart. Push the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer placed over a bowl. Discard the pulp left in the strainer and transfer the pink syrup to a clean jar fitted with a lid. Store in the fridge until needed.
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it went! Mention @izyhossack or tag #topwithcinnamon!

82 thoughts on “Rhubarb, Grapefruit and Thyme Cocktails”

  1. holy moly – this looks delicious ! i love all of these flavors – particularly grapefruit!

  2. How pretty! I love your cocktail shaker. But don’t ask me anything about cocktails because I’m only in 8th grade. 🙂 All I know right now is that the color is really nice and your pictures are beautiful. Sure makes me thirsty…

  3. Obsessed with all of the gifs! Love everything about this recipe!
    I’ve been meaning to go out and put some rhubarb to use.

  4. I’ve seen so much rhubarb lately and I’ve still yet to make anything with it! I need to!

  5. That looks so beautiful and so delicious! Even though I’m not a big cocktail drinker, I absolutely need to try it now!

  6. I’d say this right here is a pretty successful cocktail premiere 😉 I love the colours of the rhubarb and the grapefruit and totally have to say WOW for this curled peel decoration thing! And I personally nearly always go the path of learning by doing 😉 faults and failure only makes on wiser, don’t they?! But back to the topic: this drink looks totally awesome and now I can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with in the future!

  7. Those are soooo pretty, and I love the idea of using a DIY mason jar shaker. Will have to google that for, you know, future reference. 🙂

  8. As usual your post is just BRILLIANT! Love this idea of using grapefruit and rhubarb for the cocktail and then adding a refresh

  9. Damn I had so much to say that I accidentally pressed the submit button! My bad! But basically I’m just going gaga over this AWESOME flavor combination! AND THAT DIY COCKTAIL SHAKER! you’se a GENIUSs!!!!!

  10. This looks like such I fun cocktail! I can’t wait to try it on one of my evenings in with my friends!

  11. that looks SO SO good!!
    we love rhubarb so much, sounds like the perfect drink! 🙂
    x
    nora&laura

  12. Umm, that looks incredible! I’m 15, so I’ll be going the sparkly water route (yay!) and I’m going to go get some rhubarb from the garden to make it right now! Gorgeous pictures as always 🙂

  13. I love this – sounds so simple, delicious, refreshing, pretty, etc. And that mason jar shaker diy is darn cute!

  14. Perfect drinks for a party – I’m having a girls end-of-term soirée during the week and these look ideal…fun, funky and girly! Thanks Izy! Can’t wait to wow my friends!

  15. As someone who has been past the legal drinking age for a few years, I would say this looks pretty professional! I can’t even STAND how gorgeous these photos are. I’ll have to wait until next spring to try out the recipe, since I’m “with child” right now! I absolutely love the DIY mason jar shaker, by the way!

  16. Hi Izy! I love your blog. It’s nice to see a young blogger doing so well!! I was wondering how you make your GIFs?

  17. I love your honesty and that you’re not a cocktail snob when it comes to drinks. We are the same way here. How crazy perfect are these drinks for summer?! Can’t wait to find out. Thanks!

  18. I adore your home made cocktail shaker – thats such a good idea and it looks so cute! The drink looks lovely too, can’t beat a little bit of afternoon drinking when you should be doing other things!

  19. Oh this made me laugh!! I am sure the flavours were gorgeous! You just can’t go wrong with homemade rhubarb syrup and grapefruit is such an under-appreciated citrus, in my opinion. Your cocktail shaker is adorable, it makes me want to get rid of my “proper” one and go punch holes in a mason jar lid. Cheers!

  20. Beautiful photos Izy! Cheers to a long hot summer with plenty more cocktails and exciting flavour combos! Good luck with your exams!

  21. So pretty! For some reason I don’t love grapefruit in real life as a fruit but in any cocktail (whether its just grapefruit and vodka or in a paloma) grapefruit is SO GOOD. And now you’re adding rhubarb to it too so of course I am more than sold.

  22. Wow, stunning photos of a drink so tempting I might have to make it right away! Thanks for the inspiration!

  23. Those colors!! Omg. Also, I love your mason-jar cocktail shaker and we don’t have one, so I think I’m going to copy you 😛 You’re so smart!

  24. Izy, you’ve outdone yourself! This is incredible – gorgeous photography and the drink sounds delicious! I will definitely try it some time this weekend. (Big rhubarb fan over here!)
    Good thoughts to you,
    Pauline xx

  25. I’m in love with this cocktail! Can’t wait for warm summer days so I can sit on the porch and enjoy a glass or two.

  26. You are an absolute inspiration! I can’t believe I am two years older than you and haven’t achieved anything like this! Your photos, writing style and technical ability is astoundingly mature and done with so much finesse. Seriously keep up the good work – you’re going to go far!

  27. That cocktail shaker is incredible.. I was staring at it and wondering whether I could purchase one myself, but there you went and made your own! So impressed Izy. And the drink? Swoon…! x

  28. This sounds delicious. I’ve just remade the rhubarb cordial that I made last summer, I might fancy it up with some grapefruit and make these this weekend!

  29. Very, very pretty! Almost too gorgeous to drink. I love the addition of thyme with the sweet flavors, I think that really brings out the other flavors even more. Bookmarking this.

  30. I love that you’ve diy-ed a cocktail maker from a jar. Looks fab. And I love these flavours. Especially the thyme. XX

  31. LOVE the photos, your humor and your ability to be REAL! It looks amazing and I’m very thirsty now and it’s not even mid-day! I will subscribe to your blog! Thank you, I love food and photography and you mix them together quite well. Cheers!

  32. The gifs are the best! And the jars. And the rhubarb. It’s been so hard to find rhubarb here that isn’t costing me my firstborn child that I haven’t had a chance to use it at all in baking yet!

  33. I really like the idea of using a jar with perforated lid as a shaker almost as much as I love this recipe!!!!

  34. Gorgeous! Gorgeous! Gorgeous! Love these and am putting together a post on Mocktails. Might just refer to yours sans vodka for my mommies to be. Love this. Thanks!

  35. These photos are absolutely gorgeous!!! The colors, light, contrast with props…you amaze me! And the GIF’s are just so simple + fab. Rock on, lady.

  36. Your photos are stunning, and the cocktails look like they’d taste even better. The flavours are so reminiscent of a summer sunset.

  37. Yum! This drink is exactly what I need right now. It looks so delicious and refreshing. Pinning right away.

  38. This is such a gorgeous colour and it looks so refreshing! Also LOVE your DIY-ed cocktail shaker, very clever 🙂

  39. “Savory Simple” shared this on FB, and I came running here for your recipe.
    This looks & seems so refreshing, and I love that I could also make it virgin 🙂

    P.S. How wonderful of you to be 18 and so talented?
    🙂

  40. This looks simply delicious. I’m just wondering what theme you use for your blog– it’s stunning.

    • I use one called the Thesis theme which is basically a blank canvas and I just added all the other stuff myself! Thanks

  41. This is definitely perfect for summer as it’s a healthy and refreshing. Gonna try this for tonight. My husband loves cocktail very much, he’ll surely love this.

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