The Black Rose Cocktail

My husband loves a beverage.  And for that matter, so do I.  And ... well, so does my little sister, who is the inspiration for this cocktail my husband invented:  The Black Rose.

So the story goes:  once upon a time my lil' sis went to a bar before coming over to our apartment.  When she arrived, she was RAVING over a cocktail she had:  "it smelled like rosemary, but was sweet with blackberries, and had some citrus."  Now my husband can't resist a cocktail challenge ... and so he got to mixing; and, thus:  The Black Rose.

Here's what you do:

First of all:  rosemary vodka.  You'll be hard pressed to find this, so make it!  It's simple.  Take some vodka and put some rosemary in it.  Let it sit for 3 days, and voila:  rosemary vodka!  How much?  However much!  We made a small batch - the vodka bottle (it was big) had about a quarter of a bottle left, and we put in three sprigs of the herb.  If you have less springs, you can always let it steep longer.  You'll know when it's done because it will smell amazing and be tinged with a greenish hue!

Next:  rosemary liqueur.  You'll probably not find this either.  That's okay.  Make it as well.  This one takes a bit more work, though still not much.  Here's what you do:  to make a full recipe take 3 cups of sugar and dissolve it in a cup of water over medium heat until you have a murky looking syrup.  You do not need to let it boil.  We aren't making caramel here!  When it is done, take it off the heat and mix in 3 cups of vodka.  Put it into a container with 3 cups of ripe blackberries and let it sit for 10 days.  We think the wait is worth it ... though admittedly unfortunate.  You can always make a fraction of the recipe.  We made a third this time.

And when it's finished ... it's time to mix!

Here's the recipe:
1.5 oz rosemary vodka
1.5 oz blackberry liqueur
.75 oz lime juice
.75 oz grapefruit juice (not grapefruit drink)

Mix over ice, strain, and put in a pretty glass - garnish with a sprig of rosemary if it pleases you!