Jack Rose Recipe

This classic cocktail combines applejack with grenadine, lemon, and bitters.

A Jack Rose cocktail is strained into a coupe glass on a bartop.

Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

Why It Works

  • Tart grenadine and lemon juice balance the sweetness of the applejack.
  • Peychaud's adds a hint of warm spice and fruity notes.
  • Shaking the cocktail with ice for 15 seconds thoroughly chills and dilutes the drink.

As the bar manager at Eastern Standard and Island Creek Oyster Bar, Jackson Cannon may not have reintroduced Boston to classic cocktails (that credit can only go to John Gertsen of Drink and No. 9 Park). But you could easily assert that as the largest, busiest, and arguably best craft cocktail bar in the city, Eastern Standard has done more to popularize these drinks than anywhere else.

Jackson describes the Jack Rose as "a lost classic," and it's got quite a lineage.

The drink was once listed as one of the six basic cocktails in David Embury's 1948 classic The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. A popular cocktail in the 1920's, it also appeared in Hemingway's 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises. Our variation is inspired by Stanley Clisby Arthur's variation, included in his 1937 Famous New Orleans Drinks and How To Mix 'Em.

Constructed with house-made grenadine (surprisingly easy to make), Laird's Applejack, a bit of lemon, and a dash of Peychaud's bitters, it's spirit forward with a refreshing fruity undercurrent that makes it really easy to drink.

For the grenadine, purchase a high-quality brand made with real pomegranate juice, or try making your own with this recipe, which gets a tart boost from pomegranate molasses and a splash of rosewater. Cannon prefers a simpler formula: combine two parts pomegranate juice (like POM) and one part white sugar in a saucepan, cooking it over medium-high heat until it comes to just below a simmer. Adjust the flame so that it starts evaporating, but doesn't actually bubble. Let it reduce in this way until it reaches a deep purple with a slight rust color around the edges. Transfer it to a clean container, and add orange blossom water to taste. Cool it, and store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a few weeks.

August 2014

Recipe Details

Jack Rose Recipe

Active 2 mins
Total 2 mins
Serves 1 serving

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces Laird's Applejack

  • 3/4 ounce grenadine, preferably homemade

  • 3/4 ounce fresh squeezed juice from 1 lemon

  • 1 dash Peychaud's bitters

  • Lemon twist

Directions

  1. Combine applejack, grenadine, lemon juice, and bitters in a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice and shake vigorously until well chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Squeeze lemon twist over surface of drink, skin-side-out to release fragrant oils. Rub rim of glass with skin side of lemon twist and discard twist. Serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Cocktail shaker, cocktail strainer

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
191 Calories
0g Fat
24g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 191
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 7mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 24g 9%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 16g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 14mg 70%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 94mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)