The Jack Rose: America's Apple Brandy Classic
Pale pink, sharp and fruity, the Jack Rose was one of the most fashionable cocktails in America before Prohibition. It deserves to be again, and the secret is simple: proper apple brandy and real grenadine.
By Margot Ellery · · Updated · 5 min read
On the old Bar Pleiades list, the Jack Rose sat among the classics with a credit to William Boothby's 1908 book The World's Drinks and How to Mix Them, and a note that the grenadine was made in house. That note was the important part. Most bad Jack Roses are bad because of the grenadine.
A very American drink
The Jack Rose is built on apple brandy, one of the oldest spirits made in America. Applejack was distilled in New Jersey from colonial times, and Laird & Company, whose bottles still anchor the category, holds one of the oldest distilling licenses in the country. By the early 1900s, a mix of apple brandy, citrus and grenadine was a popular order in bars from New York to San Francisco.
Its literary moment came in 1926, when Ernest Hemingway had Jake Barnes drink a Jack Rose at the bar of the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris while waiting for Brett Ashley in The Sun Also Rises. Few classic cocktails have such a good walk-on part.
Where the name comes from
There are several stories. The most plausible is the simplest: the drink is the color of a Jacqueminot rose, a deep pink variety popular at the time, often nicknamed the "Jack rose," and "Jack" was also a common nickname for applejack. A more colorful story links it to "Bald Jack" Rose, a New York gambler who became notorious in a 1912 murder case, but the drink was already in print by then. As with many cocktail names, the honest answer is that nobody knows for certain.
The apple brandy
Modern American "applejack" is often a blend of apple brandy and neutral spirit, which makes it lighter. For a Jack Rose with real apple character, use a straight or bottled-in-bond apple brandy at around 50 percent alcohol. A young Calvados from Normandy also works and gives a drier, more orchard-like drink.
Real grenadine
Grenadine is pomegranate syrup. The name comes from grenade, the French word for pomegranate. Unfortunately, most commercial grenadine is now corn syrup, red coloring and artificial flavor, which makes a cloying, candy-like drink. Homemade grenadine takes five minutes:
- Warm 250 ml of unsweetened pomegranate juice in a pan. Do not boil.
- Stir in 250 g of sugar until dissolved.
- Remove from the heat and add a few drops of orange flower water and, if you like, 5 ml of pomegranate molasses for depth.
- Cool, bottle and refrigerate. It keeps for about three weeks; a splash of vodka extends that.
The result is tart, fruity and a lovely deep red. It changes the Jack Rose completely.
Lemon or lime?
Older recipes vary. Some call for lime, some for lemon. Lemon makes a rounder drink that lets the apple show; lime makes a sharper, more vivid one. We prefer lemon, but try both.
Technique
Shake hard with ice for about 12 seconds and double strain into a chilled coupe. The drink should be bright pink, frothy on top and very cold. A thin apple slice or a lemon twist is enough garnish.
Laird's and bottled-in-bond
Laird & Company of New Jersey traces its family distilling back to the eighteenth century and is widely described as the oldest licensed distillery in the United States. For generations its applejack was the American apple spirit, and the company survived Prohibition partly by producing apple brandy under a medicinal license. Its bottled-in-bond apple brandy is now a staple of cocktail bars.
"Bottled-in-bond" is a legal term from the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. In the United States it means the spirit was made by one distillery in one distilling season, aged at least four years in a bonded warehouse under government supervision and bottled at exactly 50 percent alcohol. For a Jack Rose, that strength and age give the drink backbone.
Calvados as an alternative
Calvados is apple brandy (sometimes with pear) from Normandy, made under French appellation rules. Calvados Pays d'Auge, double distilled in pot stills, is the most refined. A young Calvados labeled "Fine" or "VS" is ideal for cocktails; save older bottles for sipping. Calvados makes a drier, more elegant, more orchard-like Jack Rose than American apple brandy.
Proportions
| Style | Apple brandy | Citrus | Grenadine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced (our card) | 60 ml | 22.5 ml lemon | 15 ml |
| Bright and tart | 60 ml | 22.5 ml lime | 15 ml |
| Split citrus | 60 ml | 15 ml lemon, 7.5 ml lime | 20 ml |
Common mistakes
- Commercial grenadine. Artificial red syrup makes the drink taste like candy. Make your own.
- Light applejack. A blended applejack can taste thin. Use bonded apple brandy or Calvados.
- Too much grenadine. The color tempts people to add more. The drink should be pink and tart, not red and sweet.
- Weak shaking. Shake hard for a frothy texture and good dilution.
Food to serve with it
Apple and pork are old friends, so the Jack Rose is lovely with charcuterie, pork rillettes or a slice of pâté. It also goes well with aged cheddar and other hard cheeses. See our bar food guide for more.
A note on Boothby
The old Bar Pleiades list credited its Jack Rose to William "Cocktail Bill" Boothby, the San Francisco bartender whose guides, including The World's Drinks and How to Mix Them (1908), are among the important records of pre-Prohibition American drinking. Crediting a recipe to a printed source is a good habit that serious bars adopted during the cocktail revival: it shows guests where a drink comes from and invites them to look it up.
Variations
- Star cocktail: a stirred cousin of apple brandy and sweet vermouth with bitters, good for those who prefer a stirred drink.
- Add an egg white for a silkier, rose-tinted sour.
- Split the base with a little rye for more spice in autumn.
If you enjoy fruit and acidity balanced against an aged spirit, try the New York Sour next, or the Hemingway Daiquiri for another drink with a literary connection.
Sources and further reading
Questions and answers
What is in a Jack Rose cocktail?
Apple brandy or applejack, lemon or lime juice, and grenadine.
What is grenadine made from?
Real grenadine is made from pomegranate juice and sugar. Many commercial versions use artificial flavor and color instead.
