Cocktail Friday: Jack Rose

This cocktail was a favorite of Ernest Hemingway, who mentions it in his seminal novel The Sun Also Rises. To be fair, I think his characters spend more time drinking absinthe than Jack Roses, but they do consume a few of them, and since I’m an easily suggestible gorilla, I started thirsting to consume one myself. (As for the absinthe, well, more on that another time.)

The base spirit in a Jack Rose is applejack or Calvados, and the apple flavor really gets me in the mood for autumn. The lime (or lemon) juice, however, summers up the drink, so i think it would be equally at home any season of the year. Grenadine rounds out the flavor and keeps it from becoming too tropical a drink. This is a mellow, smooth drink. Not too sweet, not too tart.

My experiments  with the Jack Rose have been mixed, I’ll admit. I have a fine pomegranate syrup at home and while tasty, it renders the drink a little more brown than the famous rose/red tint associated with the drink. (And that’s why I include a pic from wikipedia this week!) You can use either lemon or lime juice, and I’ve found the lime far more to my taste.

The Jack Rose

• 1 1/2 oz. applejack (or calvados)
• 1/2 oz lime juice (or lemon if you prefer)
• 1/2 oz grenadine

Shake with ice, pour into cocktail glass, garnish with a lime wedge.