The Jack Rose is a pre-prohibition (like, seriously OG) New Jersey classic cocktail we're re-imagining to be solidly West Coast. It's a little known drink (and surprisingly has NOTHING to do with our favorites from the Titanic) that will be widely popular with your friends once introduced. It's fairly sweet but still pretty stiff, so it packs a pretty little punch. Speaking of punch, PUNCH describes the drink as so:
According to David Embury’s The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, the Jack Rose was, during the mid-20thcentury, a pillar of basic cocktail-mixing knowledge. The origin of its name is disputed: some credit it to an early 20th-century hit man called “Bald Jack Rose,” while others connect it to Jersey City bartender Frank J. May, who was also known as Jack Rose. What is certain is that the Jack Rose is a New Jersey cocktail through and through. Its American apple brandy base, applejack (a.k.a. “Jersey Lightning”), is one of the country’s oldest continuously-produced spirits and Laird’s in New Jersey remains its largest producer to this day.
As this article makes clear, this is a New Jersey cocktail that goes way back. The original version calls for grenadine, lemon juice, and applejack. We're more interested in bringing it back to the future, and rooting it firmly in our own region's splendor with the addition of locally grown rhubarb simple syrup from Sumner, WA, the rhubarb capitol of the world. To bring the cocktail all the way back around to the apple state, we recommend also trying a locally made apple brandy.
Where there are cider companies, brandy distilling is sure to follow, and as cider making is exploding in Washington, several distilleries in the state have released apple brandies as well. I may just have to plan a personal tasting tour of the options next Spring, because just writing this blog post has me thirsty for more history and more brandy!
The history of cider and brandy making in America is absolutely fascinating, as the two used to be the most prevalent and common alcohol consumed, during a time when our young nation consumed an estimated THREE times the amount of alcohol that we do today. The temperance movement, prohibition, modern farm practices, and urban growth have all affected the apple industry significantly, even more so the growth of cider apples (a more bitter variety than those grown for juice and fruit.) The result was, for a long time, we didn't drink very much cider in the USA, and the long tradition of brandy making was upheld by only a few purveyors.
Thankfully, as PUNCH mentioned above, one of these was Laird's. For a quick trip into apple brandy land, if you've never tried it before, a bottle of Laird's will totally do the trick. It's readily available and inexpensive at places like Total Wine and More so you can try this recipe right away. Just be sure to sub in the rhurbarb vanilla syrup for the grenadine, or at the very least, make your own grenadine. Commercial grenadines such as Rose's that you may have in your fridge will taste far too sweet.
Speaking of sweet, it doesn't get cuter, or more questionable in appropriateness, than Hayes playing mixologist with the jigger as I try to make this drink in the video below!
To Make the Cocktail:
Add 1 dash bitters, Laird's applejack, rhubarb vanilla syrup, and fresh squeezed lemon juice to a cocktail shaker full of ice. Shake until the outside of the shaker is chilled and strain the cocktail into a fresh, chilled glass. Finish by twisting a lemon peel over the glass to release citrus oils into the cocktail. Garnish with an edible flower sugar rim or fresh edible flowers if available.
It's bubbly, quick to pour 1 or 10 drinks, and it's really pretty to look at. And of course, it tastes delicious. Even better, it's easily adapted to become a mocktail that feels just a touch more festive than the usual sparkling cider available to non-drinkers at holiday events.
Photo by Rylea Foehl
Sparkling cocktails are the little black dresses of our lives in 2012, and the black athletic leggings of our lives in 2018- easy, comfortable, well loved, the perfect go to. If you're hosting brunch, making a party cocktail, inviting the girls over to watch the Bachelor on Monday night, etc, etc, this is the garden to glass cocktail (or mocktail! It's a great alcohol free recipe, too!) for you.
We love using local to Washington champagnes like the Yakima Valley's Treveri brut, but you can really use any sparkling wine you like. Just watch the sweetness as you're adding the juice and wine. Let's say you have a sweeter wine like Proseco, you might add a little less juice to the drink or an extra drop of bitters. The beautiful thing, though, is this drink can be made entirely to your tastes and the tastes of your guests. It can also be a delicious non-alcohol option for those who don't want to imbibe.
You may have noticed that we're pretty passionate about supporting the sober community. We both struggled to find delicious and grown up feeling options during our pregnancies, and we have friends and family members who choose a sober lifestyle. We think it's important to be inclusive with options for all when you're hosting, and this drinks fits the bill. For those abstaining, I love that it is tasty, pretty, and one of the very few drinks that is hard to tell apart when it is made non-alcoholic. The end result will look nearly identical to the alcoholic version, so you can fly under the nosy neighbor's radar.
When you're choosing to stay sober it isn't too fun to have the clear and obvious "boring/basic/childish/what is that you're drinking?" choice. You may want your sober decision to stay under the radar for personal reasons, or just wish to ignore the chatter that can come from friends and family . I love that about this cocktail. Like the perfect pair of yoga pants it asks for nothing from you and gives you every bit of comfort in return!
This recipe was originally posted to Youtube as a holiday party cocktail tutorial video, since it is great for big groups! The festive drink recipe is very easy to pre-prep, just fill a tray of champagne flutes with the garnish, juice and bitters, then add the chilled beverage of your choice to the entire tray when you're ready to serve. You can make a bunch of these all at once for a crowd this way, or prepare it in a punch bowl with an ice ring or a chilled pitcher and let guests serve themselves.
Makes 1
Glass: flute
Ingredients:
Compose the cocktail directly into a wine glass or champagne flute. Drop bitters at bottom of glass, top with pomegranate juice, and carefully pour in very chilled champagne. Pouring into juice will often make champagne pour especially bubbly, so be patient with the pour to fill it to top. Add pomegranate arils and enjoy!
To make the Pomegranate Sparkler Non-alcoholic:
Just swap in sparkling water or juice instead of the sparkling wine for a really pretty and thoughtful non-alcoholic option. For alcoholics in recovery, you should always ask before including the bitters, as they do contain a very low percentage of alcohol (less than 1%), that may interfere with someone's program.
First, let's address this title. "Harvest Nights" sounds pretty sexy, right? Yes, well, the drink deserves it. It's a darn tasty one, my friends, and it looks really impressive to make, as well. Sexiness also has quite a lot to do with the science and nature behind the making of this cocktail. We love a cocktail with a good story behind it, and wow- this one is practically Shakespearean. Watch the video below for the full story!
We ask that you be safe with this one. Like, don't serve it to blind dates you only feel so-so about, or you will definitely send the wrong message. This drinks sends a "I am trying to impress you because I like you and want a second date at PF Changs with dessert and some hanky panky on the menu kind of vibe." You've been warned.
And, maybe a tiny bit more importantly, I'd like to warn you about fire and alcohol. They are a combo to be careful with. Please, do not try to light your drink on fire. Please, do not have any spilled alcohol on your hands when you go to light the match. Take practical precautions to ensure you light only the rosemary stick on fire, ok? Because I like you. And your blind date probably does, too. And no one wants to tell a "how we met" story at their wedding that ends in the Emergency Room.
The long story on how to make this cocktail and all about the "garden to glass" story of the cocktail is in the video below. You can skip ahead to the recipe if you're in a hurry, but I do highly recommend watching this video "how to" because Venise and I worked hard to make it and we love sharing these with you!
Farmer Venise drops some seriously interesting knowledge about figs (did you know that what you're eating is NOT a fruit?) and the nature of their pollination. Spoiler alert, it involves mating. It's a beautifully tragic and sexy little tale, and now we've come full circle back to this sexy recipe title!
The video also has several sound track additions and adorable cameos from the ever-clinging son/fifth limb of mine, Hayes. He loves to help make cocktails, what can I say?
We also ask that you please share this Garden to Glass cocktail video! Let people know how interesting and complex the ingredients we take for granted really are!
In a mixing glass, stir together bourbon and cointreau and fig shrub. Add ice, and stir again until the cocktail is chilled. Strain the cocktail into a fresh glass, and add a squeeze of the lemon wedge. Then set the end of the rosemary stick aflame, blow it out, and place the opposite (dry) end of the rosemary sprig into the drink like a straw. Place a cloche or glass bowl over the cup to capture the rosemary smoke so it enters the drink. After 30 seconds lift the cloche and enjoy.
First combine equal parts dried figs, sugar, and apple cider vinegar over medium heat in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a simmer and add in a couple of cinnamon sticks. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Next add all ingredients to a glass mason jar and secure the lid. Refrigerate, and check flavor daily until depth of fruit and spice flavor is reached. You may want to remove the cinnamon sticks before you remove the dried figs. After flavor depth is reached, remove all large pieces and strain liquid if necessary so that only the syrup remains. Store, refrigerated, for up to one year.
