For those who are not fans of alcohol, here’s how to greet the New Year with a clear head, with a spritzer of grapefruit and rosemary, of pepper and kumquat.
Spritzer of grapefruit and rosemary
For 10-12 people, it is necessary: 2 lemons, 2 oranges, 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 3/4 cup of sugar, ice cubes, soda water, lemon slices and sprigs of rosemary for decoration.
Preparation
Squeeze the citrus fruit – you should get about 1 cup of juice. Add water to the top of the cup, If it necessary. Stir into thick strips a sliced rind of 1 lemon, rosemary, sugar and cook over medium heat. Allow to boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the sugar has melted. Remove the syrup from the heat and leave to cool for about 10 minutes. Strain, discard the solid parts, allow the syrup to cool completely. Serve as follows: Fill the cup (2.5 dl) with ice cubes, add 3 tablespoons of syrup, pour soda water to the top and stir. As desired, garnish with sprigs of rosemary and / or lemon slices.
Spritzer of kumquat and pepper
For 10-12 people, it is necessary: 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, 2 teaspoons of red or black peppercorns (goods crumbled), about 24 Kumquats cut into slices and cleaned of seeds, ice cubes (optional), about 3 liter of mineral water.
Preparation
Boil sugar and water, but when it boils reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, as long as sugar dissolves. Add the peppercorns, remove from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Strain the syrup and leave to cool completely. In each glass (from 2.5 dl) put about 12 rolls kumquat and 2 tablespoons of the syrup, pour the soda water and stir. Decorate with a few grains of pepper.