Jack Rose
Applejack, lemon and grenadine. A pink, apple-driven sour from the age when America drank apple brandy, and worth reviving.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe.
Add the applejack, lemon juice and grenadine to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12-15 seconds.
Double strain into the chilled coupe and garnish with a lemon twist.
A thoughtful finish
- Real grenadine is essential. Pomegranate, sugar and a little orange flower water — the bright red syrup sold under the name is sugar and dye and will make the drink taste of nothing but sweetness.
- Bonded applejack at 100 proof is the best choice if you can get it. Blended applejack is cut with neutral spirit and makes a noticeably thinner drink.
- Some older recipes use lime. Lemon is the more common modern spec and sits better against the apple.
Common mistakes
- Cheap bright-red grenadine, which is the single reason most people's Jack Rose is disappointing.
- Using blended applejack and expecting the apple to show. Read the label — bonded or straight apple brandy is what you want.
- Over-pouring the grenadine. Half an ounce is plenty; more and it becomes a sweet pink drink with no structure.
A few good questions.
What is applejack?
American apple brandy. Historically it was made by freeze-concentrating cider; today it is distilled. Bonded applejack is 100 proof and made entirely from apples, while 'blended applejack' is apple brandy cut with neutral grain spirit.
Can I use Calvados?
Yes, and it makes a more refined drink — Calvados is the French apple brandy from Normandy, aged in oak. It is less rustic and more expensive.
What is real grenadine?
Pomegranate juice reduced with sugar, often with orange flower water. It is tart and deep red-brown. You can make it at home in ten minutes with pomegranate juice and sugar.
Lemon or lime?
Both appear in the historical record. Lemon is the standard modern spec; lime makes a sharper, slightly more tropical drink.
Variations
- Pink Lady — Gin, applejack, lemon, grenadine and egg white.
- Diamondback — Rye, applejack and yellow Chartreuse.
- Corpse Reviver No. 1 — Cognac, calvados and sweet vermouth.
- Widow's Kiss — Calvados, Bénédictine, yellow Chartreuse and bitters.
Where it comes from
c. 1900s · United States
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
In print by the 1900s and well known through the 1920s and 30s — it appears in Hugo Ensslin’s Recipes for Mixed Drinks in 1916 and in Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book. The name is unresolved: candidates include the Jacqueminot rose, whose colour the drink matches, the applejack itself, and a New York gambler named Jack Rose who testified in a notorious 1912 murder case. John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway both mention it. Applejack — American apple brandy — was one of the dominant spirits of the early United States, which is why a drink built on it was once unremarkable.
Sources
- Hugo Ensslin, Recipes for Mixed Drinks, 1916 (book)
- Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930 (book)
- Ted Haigh, Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, 2004 (book)
Strength. About 1.33 US standard drinks at an estimated 19.7% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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