Jack Rose cocktail image from Michael Dietsch

Drink of the Week: Jack Rose

It wasn’t that long ago that finding a Jack Rose in a bar was a real challenge. The drink mentioned in Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” was the subject of a Washington Post article. The drink contains applejack, grenadine, and lemon or lime juice. At the time most bars didn’t stock the applejack necessary for the recipe, and many of the bartenders had to look up the recipe. They eventually ended up at the Mayflower, where they brought in their own bottle of applejack and asked Bartender Sam Lek to mix it for them.

We’re much luckier nowadays. Applejack shows up in a few more bars, and adds a nice punch to this drink. By itself, applejack is a hale and hearty apple brandy that you might sip slowly. But combined with grenadine and citrus juice, it mellows out and becomes a lovely little drink. Don’t be fooled by its girly pink color, it’s an excellent summer cocktail. And if anyone asks gives you a hard time, just tell them it’s endorsed by that hard drinker, Papa Hemingway.

Jack Rose – Jacques Straub Drinks, 1914

Many versions around town tend to use lemon juice, but I personally prefer the extra bite that comes from the lime juice.
2 oz. applejack
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 oz. grenadine
Ice

Combine, shake with ice and strain.