Author: corrie.pennington

Rose Darling cocktail
gin

Rose Darling

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The Rose Darling is a perfect cocktail for Valentine's Day. Vodka, orange liqueur, rose simple syrup, apricot preserves, and cranberry juice come together to create a refreshingly floral sip.

If the Rose Darling caught your eye, you’re either a Steely Dan fan or a floral fan. I’ve been trying to veer away from typical Valentines-y cocktails in my V-Day drink series, but I can’t end it without utilizing such an iconic symbol of love. The Rose Darling is definitely floral and is definitely on the sweeter side. I’m not usually one for sweet drinks but certain occasions open me up to the idea.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

To garnish the glass, trace a line with rose simple syrup & sprinkle rose petals over it.

If you’re not a fan of florals, don’t shy away from the Rose Darling just yet. There’s a way to modify this rose cocktail by making a lightly-flavored rose simple syrup. Check out the recipe to see how you can tone it down. In that blog post, I also come clean about an infamous rose-scented candle, a burden that weighed on my family’s conscience for years. Okay, that might be a bit dramatic. But it is something that my mom and I have talked about several times since my childhood and felt an ounce or two of remorse over.

Rose petal ice cubes

Although they aren’t necessary to the drink, the rose ice cubes do up the fancy factor. They require next to no effort, so why not? Especially if you are already going to be making your own rose simple syrup. I found the rose-shaped ice cube tray at Dollar Tree for a whole dollar, but I also put some petals in my large ice cube mold. I will note that since these rose-shaped ice cubes are quite small, I accounted for them melting quickly when creating the drink recipe. If you are going to use bigger ice cubes (or skip them altogether & pour the drink into a coupe glass), consider doing less vodka or a little more cran juice.

If you’re looking for a simple & delicious meal to go along with any of my Valentine’s Day cocktails, check out Cuisine & Cocktail’s DIY Bagel Bites. My husband and I have a yearly Valentine’s day tradition of making our own pizzas. We avoid the crowds & spend time together cooking (not common around our house!) food we know we are going to love. This year, however, Valentine’s weekend is packed for us and we won’t have time to celebrate until Sunday. We’ll be using Cuisine & Cocktail’s recipe (gluten-free English Muffins for me) to save us some time.

The Ingredients for a Rose Darling

  • 1 1/2 oz vodka (Tito’s has always been my go-to)
  • 1/2 oz orange liqueur
  • 1/2 oz cranberry juice
  • 1/4 oz or a couple squeezes of lemon juice
  • 1/4 oz rose simple syrup
  • Spoonful of apricot preserves

How to Make a Rose Darling

Add the vodka, orange liqueur, juices, rose simple syrup, and apricot preserves to a shaker filled with ice. [The more ice you add when shaking, the less it will dilute when shaking, which means the less your drink will be diluted when you pour it over the ice in your glass.] Shake & pour into a lowball glass filled with ice or into a coupe glass without ice.

The Rose Darling is a perfect cocktail for Valentine's Day. Vodka, orange liqueur, rose simple syrup, apricot preserves, and cranberry juice come together to create a refreshingly floral sip.
simple syrup

Rose Simple Syrup

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If you don’t enjoy the smell of roses, don’t count out this rose simple syrup just yet. I myself used to hate all things rose. My distrust of rose fragrance runs far back to my elementary days. All the way back to my 3rd-grade year, to be exact. My family, seeking to support another friend by way of a school fundraiser, bought a rose-scented pillar candle. And when I say scented I mean SCENTED. That thing was FRAGRANT, unnaturally so. None of us could stand the smell, so my mom came up with a brilliant, selfless idea: we can give the candle to my teacher.

Add a floral layer of sophistication to your cocktails with this rose simple syrup.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

I’ll never forget giving it to her. I could practically SEE the pink fumes spiraling up out of the tissue paper. As any teacher would, she thanked me profusely and plastered a smile on her face while she put the candle on display on top of her filing cabinet. Moments later, Michael J. came in the room and– between gags and coughs– he was able to squeeze out the words “Mrs. Lawrence, what is that SMELL?” I couldn’t help but laugh then and I still laugh thinking about it to this day.

Fear not, this rose simple syrup won’t emit any fumes or knock out anyone who wanders into the kitchen when you’re making it. If you’re a little afraid of a heavy rose flavor, skip the rosewater and use only the rose petals. It’ll be delicate, adding only a hint of floral essence in your cocktail.

If you want more of a pink hue to your syrup, consider adding a pinch of beet powder. (You might have some on hand if you’ve made my beet simple syrup). Without the beet powder, the syrup will have a slight purple-gray tint to it, which is totally fine. I just wanted it to look a little more pink so it would add some color to my Rose Darling. You can see the difference in color in the two photos below.

As I have mentioned in my other simple syrup posts, I prefer to make small batches when crafting flavored simple syrups. I typically don’t use a lot and don’t want to waste any before I’m able to use it up.

The Ingredients for Rose Simple Syrup

  • 2 Tablespoons dried rose petals (pleeease make sure you are using food grade petals)
  • 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon rosewater

How to Make Rose Simple Syrup

Boil the rose petals in the water on the stove for 1-2 minutes. You’re essentially making rose tea. There won’t be much water in the pot so be careful to make sure the petals don’t scorch. Strain the liquid and discard the petals. Pour the rose tea back into your saucepan and add the extra tablespoon of water. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Remove from heat and add the rosewater & stir again. Allow it to cool completely before storing it in the fridge. It should keep for a month.

Add a floral layer of sophistication to your cocktails with this rose simple syrup.
I originally wanted to keep the petals in the syrup… but quickly realized the petals look pretty unappetizing once all the color has been boiled out of them.
Rose simple syrup adds a floral element to cocktails, tea, and even lattes.

Interesting in making other simple syrups? Check out these recipes:

Royal Rose - Organic Simple Syrup
vodka

Orange Cassidy | A Freshly-Squeezed Take on a Moscow Mule

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I have quite the schpeel to go with this Moscow mule modification. There’s a slim chance you know the name Orange Cassidy already. If you do, I love you for it. If not, well…. hopefully you’ll still love me after this is all over with.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

My schpeel starts with a confession and ends with exciting news. Okay. Are you ready? I… am a huge wrestling fan. But it hasn’t always been this way, or at least not for a while. I grew up begging my parents to let me watch WWF and WCW with my brother, probably like most kids in the 90s. I loved me some DDP and Sting. And then I remember learning that it was “fake” and feeling crushed. Deceived. Betrayed. How could this be true????

Orange Cassidy, a cocktail inspired by AEW's too-cool-to-care Orange Cassidy

My husband was a fan, too, and he even had his own persona in his neighborhood wrestling league as a kid. When he told me that a new wrestling league, All Elite Wrestling, was premiering several months ago, I didn’t really care. The night it premiered, he was hooping and hollering from the other room and truthfully I gave him a hard time about it. This is fake, you know, I told him, how are you into this again? Well, joke’s on me because the next week I was watching with him and couldn’t get enough. I have a confession, I muttered the next morning, I can’t stop thinking about AEW.

Now here we are, 5 months later, heading to our first-ever live wrestling event. (I’ll keep the price of the tickets to myself to hold on to what remaining pride I have left.) To say I’m stoked would an understatement. I’M FLIPPING OUT. Make fun of me all you want, but the skill that these people have is insane. The extra drama just makes it even more entertaining. Is it cheesy? Oh totally. But I am HERE FOR IT. Every Wednesday (and Tuesday). It’s a thrilling blend of pure athleticism and theatre. Pure entertainment, I tell ya.

Confession: dropped. News: shared. Now I can tell you about the drink. Orange Cassidy is the name of one of these wrestlers. His shtick is that he’s too cool to take himself seriously. Check out the vid to get an understanding of this joker:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lGdYtaclkk

I wanted to think of a drink that embodied his “can’t be bothered to care” attitude. It’s simple, down-to-earth, and has a slight zing to it. Just like Orange Cassidy.

Orange Cassidy | All Elite Wrestling Cocktail Series A Moscow mule variation that captures Orange Cassidy's "can't be bothered to care" attitude. It's simple, down-to-earth, and has a zing to it. Just like Orange Cassidy.

The Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 oz vodka
  • 1/2 oz orange liqueur
  • 1/2 oz freshly-squeezed orange juice
  • 1/2 oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 oz freshly-squeezed lime juice
  • zest from orange & lemon
  • 1 fresh sage leaf
  • dash of bitters (optional)
  • ginger beer

The How-To

Pour the vodka into a cocktail shaker. Muddle the sage in the shaker with a muddler or the back of a spoon to release that earthy goodness. Add ice some ice and zest the orange and lemon into the shaker. Add the freshly-squeezed Orange Cassidy orange juice, lemon juice, and lime juice. Dash that bitters. Shake. Pour into a copper mug or lowball glass filled with ice. Top off with your ginger beer. Garnish with an orange slice and Orange Cassidy’s signature aviators.

**This cocktail will be the first of many in my AEW cocktail series. Brace yourself. I’ve got a notepad filled with inspiration.**

Wedding Gifts Copper Mugs Moscow Mules
Orange Cassidy, a Moscow mule cocktail inspired by AEW's too-cool-to-care Orange Cassidy

Intrigued by AEW? Check it out on Wednesday 7pm CST on TNT and on Tuesdays 6pm CST on YouTube. If you have Hulu, you can get yourself caught up on all the previous eps. Just in time for the upcoming pay-per-view on February 29th. (Do I sound like a paid representative yet? …One can wish.)

Orange Cassidy

A freshly-squeezed take on a Moscow Mule.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 3 mins
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ oz vodka
  • ½ oz orange liqueur
  • ½ oz freshly-squeezed orange juice
  • ½ oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • ½ oz freshly-squeezed lime juice
  • zest from orange or lemon
  • 1 sage leaf
  • 2+ oz ginger beer

Instructions
 

  • Add the vodka & sage leaf into a cocktail shaker.
  • Muddle the sage with a muddler or the back of a spoon to release that earthy goodness.
  • Add ice some ice, the juices, and zest the orange and/or lemon into the shaker.
  • Shake well.
  • Pour into a copper mug or lowball glass filled with ice.
  • Top off with your ginger beer.
  • Garnish with an orange slice and drink while wearing Orange Cassidy's signature aviators.
Keyword ginger beer, lemon, lime, orange blossom water, orange liqueur, sage, vodka
Copper Mugs Moscow Mules
tequila

Passionfruit Paloma w/ Beet Syrup

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– Easily make this cocktail a mocktail by skipping the tequila. –

Passionfruit Paloma made with tequila reposado, grapefruit juice, sparkling passionfruit water, and beet simple syrup.

I’ve never been a big fan of a Paloma but this Passionfruit Paloma may have redeemed them. I like tequila and I like grapefruit soda, but putting together in a cocktail leaves me… grossed out. The last time I had one was in a casino in Reno. I lived in The Biggest Little City for a span (absolutely loved it) and had been raving to my friend about being able to get free drinks in the casinos. She came in town & off we went with $40 in hand.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

Turns out, drinks aren’t free when you order them from the bar. I ordered us both a Paloma, because what was I thinking?, and they were awful. We hunkered down at the Blackjack table to drink our disgusting drinks because we paid for those dang things. But not all was lost. I mean that both figuratively & literally– we each hung on to twenty-five cents.

Passionfruit Paloma made with tequila reposado, grapefruit juice, sparkling passionfruit water, and beet simple syrup.

A traditional Paloma has tequila, grapefruit soda (like Fresca or Jarritos), and lime juice. I opted for grapefruit juice to bring that flavor upfront. I still needed to get that fizz from somewhere and I found it in the perfect form of unsweetened passionfruit sparkling water. The beet syrup brings a hint of earthy sweetness to the drink and imparts the stunning color.

Don’t be intimidated by the beet syrup. I got a huge bag of beet powder from Walmart for under $10. Beet powder is great for upping the antioxidant power of smoothies and for dying baked goods a range of pink shades. I recently used it to dye the icing of my daughter’s vanilla birthday cake. Only one party guest asked what the icing was flavored with, and he guessed cinnamon, so I’d say that it won’t make your recipes too beet-y. I’m not entirely health & wellness conscious but if I have the option to use something artificial or natural, I’m gonna opt for natural.

If you’re looking to make a *small* investment in your barware, consider buying a giant ice cube mold. A bigger ice cube is going to melt slower and make your drink a little colder. Plus they look cool & profesh.

Passionfruit Paloma made with tequila reposado, grapefruit juice, sparkling passionfruit water, and beet simple syrup.

The Ingredients for a Passionfruit Paloma

  • 1 1/2 oz. tequila reposado (skip this & make a great mocktail)
  • 1 oz. grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 oz. beet simple syrup
  • unsweetened passionfruit sparkling water (Aldi’s PurAqua Belle Vie brand is fantastic)
  • slice of grapefruit of lemon to garnish

How to Make a Passionfruit Paloma

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, tequila, grapefruit juice, & beet syrup. Shake well to combine. Pour into a low-ball glass with ice. Top off with your passionfruit sparkling water. Alternatively, you can “float” the syrup for a more layered effect but honestly, the taste is more uniform if you shake it with the other ingredients.

Passionfruit Paloma with Beet Syrup

A unique twist on the Paloma, this Passionfruit Paloma uses passionfruit sparkling water in place of grapefruit soda and beet simple syrup to sweeten it up.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 3 mins
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ oz tequila (skip this to make a mocktail)
  • 1 oz grapefruit juice
  • ½ oz beet simple syrup (see note for recipe)
  • 2+ oz passionfruit sparkling water (unsweetened)

Instructions
 

  • Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, tequila, grapefruit juice, & beet syrup.
  • Shake well to combine.
  • Pour into a lowball glass with ice.
  • Top off with your passionfruit sparkling water.

Notes

Check out the easy recipe for beet simple syrup here.
Keyword beet, grapefruit juice, paloma, sparkling water
Passionfruit Paloma made with tequila reposado, grapefruit juice, sparkling passionfruit water, and beet simple syrup.
simple syrup

Beet Simple Syrup

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Beet simple syrup made with beet powder

Using a vegetable in a cocktail basically makes it healthy, right? This beet simple syrup is an easy way to bring some earthy depth and striking color to any drink.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

The beet flavor is not overwhelming so even if you’re not a fan of these hot pink roots, you can still get behind adding them to your drink. You can buy huge bag of beet powder from Amazon or Walmart for around $10. And while this recipe only called for 1 teaspoon, there are a ton of other ways to incorporate beets into your life.

Beet simple syrup made with beet powder

You can mix the beet powder in smoothies, yogurt, or baked goods. It’s a great way to dye cake icing. Or put it into brownies for a hidden boost of antioxidants. I actually just made some beet juice ice cubes and can’t wait to incorporate them into a drink. Beets are high in folate, fiber, potassium, manganese, iron, and vitamin C. And although I can’t prove that all these nutrients will make their way into your cocktail glass, the beet simple syrup will at least make it look beautiful.

Beet simple syrup made with beet powder

The Ingredients for Beet Simple Syrup

  • 1/4 cup sugar (or honey!)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon beet powder

How to Make Beet Simple Syrup

Add all three ingredients to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Pour into a small container like a mason jar. Let it cool completely before you put the lid on and stick it in the fridge.

Wondering what to put this magenta magic into? Check out my Passionfruit Paloma.

Royal Rose - Organic Simple Syrup

Beet Simple Syrup

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 mins
Cooling time 15 mins
Course Drinks
Servings 4 ounces

Equipment

  • small saucepan
  • lidded container

Ingredients
  

  • 1 teaspoon beet powder
  • ¼ cup sugar (or honey)
  • ¼ cup water

Instructions
 

  • Add all three ingredients to a small saucepan and heat until the sugar is dissolved.
  • Stir or whisk until the beet powder is fully incorporated.
  • Pour into a small container like a mason jar. Let it cool completely before you put the lid on and stick it in the fridge.

Notes

Beet simple syrup should keep for about a month in the fridge.
Keyword beet, simple syrup, sugar