At-Home Salted Rosemary Mocha

Thanks Café Bustelo for sponsoring this post!

I’m aware that not everyone loves rosemary as much as I do but even if it’s not your favorite herb, you should continue reading. Why? Because my mind was recently blown by the culinary combination of rosemary and chocolate and I can make a convincing argument why you should try it at least once. The argument is this: it’s just really good, alright?

Fresh rosemary has an earthy, woodsy, almost lemony flavor profile that’s bright and compliments the rich, deep tastes of chocolate and coffee. I used Café Bustelo, which is nutty and dark, making this pairing even more tantalizing. Convinced yet?

To make this drink, you’re going to want to start by whipping up some rosemary simple syrup. If you tried my At Home Dirty Chai Latte you already know how to do this! (Minus the masala chai tea bags!) If you didn’t, no worries. (Though you will definitely want to try it after you’re done this one.) I made a small batch, just a half cup of water and a half cup of brown sugar poured together into a saucepan and heated until all of the sugar was dissolved. While it was still hot, I transferred it to a small jar and placed two medium sprigs of rosemary inside before putting it in the fridge.

After my syrup had gotten to syrup consistency, I started mixing the rest of the drink. Much like the dirty chai, I heated one cup of milk (I used oat milk this time) and stirred in one heaping teaspoon of Café Bustelo Espresso Roast Instant Coffee and one and a half tablespoons of cocoa powder. (It’s a lot so feel free to use less.) Stir in 2 tablespoons of the rosemary simple syrup and pour into your favorite mug. Top with a sprinkle of Himalayan pink sea salt (fleur de sel also works well, or, in a pinch, regular ole sea salt will do!) Garnish with a sprig of rosemary if you wanna feel fancy.

If you’re feeling adventurous, I highly recommend this drink. I never tire of unorthodox twists on the traditional hot chocolate or mocha so I’ll be drinking a whole lot of these before springtime rolls around. If you do decide to try the recipe, share it with me on Instagram, @emricchini! Seeing all of your dirty chai lattes made my week last time so I wanna see your salted rosemary mochas now!

Cheers!

xo, e.m.