The Jack Rose

The Jack Rose is an apple brandy cocktail that's been around since at least 1908. Applejack, lemon, grenadine. Three things, and it comes out pink.

It's also one of the few classic cocktails that feels like it was built for Thanksgiving. It's American, it's made from apples, and it's the color of cranberry sauce without a single cranberry in it.

The catch is the grenadine. Most of what's sold as grenadine now is red dye and corn syrup, and it makes the drink taste like a snow cone. Real grenadine is just pomegranate juice and sugar. Make it once and the Jack Rose goes from a novelty to a drink you actually want a second of.

Where it comes from

The earliest printed recipe anyone has found is in Jack's Manual by Jacob Abraham Grohusko, from 1908. His version used raspberry syrup, lemon, orange, lime, and "cider brandy," which was another name for applejack.

By 1914 it had been trimmed down. Jacques Straub's book Drinks lists it like this, as transcribed by later cocktail historians:

1 jigger applejack
1/2 lime.
1/4 jigger grenadine syrup.
Shake Well.

Modern recipes still don't agree on the citrus. Some use lime like Straub, some use lemon, some use both. I use lemon, because it lets the apple come through. If you want the 1914 version, swap in lime.

What you need

For the grenadine

  • 1 cup 100% pomegranate juice, bottled or fresh

  • 1 cup sugar

For one cocktail

  • 1 1/2 ounces applejack or apple brandy

  • 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice

  • 1/2 ounce homemade grenadine

  • Ice

  • Lemon twist, for garnish

Directions

Make the grenadine

  1. Pour the pomegranate juice into a small saucepan and warm it over low heat. You only want it warm enough to melt the sugar. Don't let it boil.

  2. Stir in the sugar until the syrup turns clear and the sugar is completely dissolved.

  3. Take it off the heat and let it cool.

  4. Pour it into a bottle or jar and keep it in the refrigerator.

Make the drink

  1. Put a coupe or cocktail glass in the freezer for a few minutes.

  2. Add the applejack, lemon juice, and grenadine to a shaker.

  3. Fill with ice and shake hard until very cold, about 15 seconds.

  4. Strain into the chilled glass.

  5. Twist the lemon peel over the drink so the oil hits the surface, then drop it in or set it on the rim.

A few things worth knowing

Applejack or apple brandy. They aren't the same thing. Laird's Applejack is a blend of aged apple brandy and neutral spirit, so it's lighter and mellower. Straight apple brandy tastes more like apples and hits harder. Either one makes a proper Jack Rose. I'd start with applejack.

Recipes disagree on the amounts, too. Some use more applejack and less lemon, and some go heavier on the grenadine. The version here is a common modern one. If it's too tart for you, add a splash more grenadine. If it's too sweet, add a little more lemon.

Homemade grenadine is sweet. Pomegranate juice already has a lot of natural sugar before you add any. Taste the drink before you decide it needs more.

The fancy version. The bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler adds a little pomegranate molasses and a few drops of orange blossom water to his grenadine. It's lovely. It's also optional.

Leftover grenadine. Stir it into sparkling water, pour it over vanilla ice cream, or use it in a Shirley Temple for the kids' table.

Make it for a crowd

For eight drinks, stir 12 ounces applejack, 6 ounces lemon juice, and 4 ounces grenadine in a pitcher. Keep it cold. Shake each drink to order with ice, two at a time if your shaker is big enough, and strain into chilled glasses. Don't let it sit on ice in the pitcher, or it goes watery.

Good with

Before dinner, something salty. Aged cheddar, spiced nuts, or a plate of apple slices with sharp cheese.

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