grenadine - Girl & Tonic

Jack Rose | The Forgotten Classic Cocktail with 3 Ingredients

by corrie.pennington / July 27, 2020

The Jack Rose is a classic American cocktail made with applejack (apple brandy), lemon juice, and grenadine. It's a little tart, a little sweet, and very American. Make one and discover why so many American presidents and icons have loved a good applejack-based cocktail over the years.

The Jack Rose is a classic American cocktail made with applejack (apple brandy), fresh lemon juice, and grenadine. It’s tart, sweet, and ridiculously easy to make. Make one and you’ll find out why the Jack Rose cocktail was a favorite among the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Humphrey Bogard, and John Steinbeck.

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One day a while back, a friend called me to see if I wanted to raid her pantry before she moved out of state. Living in a military town means you have to say goodbye to a lot of friends but it also means raiding a lot of pantries. When I got there, she had already set aside a pile of things she figured I’d be interested in. In the heap was a nearly-full bottle of triple sec (score!) and a nearly-empty bottle of apple brandy.

I knew the triple sec would come in handy (hello Margaritas & Sidecars!) but I wasn’t quite sure what I’d use the apple brandy for. But seeing as I’m not one to pass up free booze, I snagged it.

It’s sat in my liquor cabinet for months now because aside from using it in place of regular brandy in a recipe, I was at a loss as to how to use it.

Then it hit me. Isn’t apple brandy the same thing as applejack? Or at least… similar? I’d had applejack in an awesome cocktail I’d ordered at a bar in Houston called Mongoose Vs Cobra. It was one of those cocktails that you think about for years. I remembered it having applejack. Ah, what was it called? Something about the Titanic??? Jack? Apple Jacks? The name was on the tip of my tongue. A quick Google search solved the mystery. A Jack Rose.

Ah, Jack Rose. I felt a little better about the Titanic connection. Turns out a Jack Rose is a classic American cocktail. And it’s made with applejack, as I remembered. But could I use my new (old) apple brandy instead?

According to an article by Chowhound and Lisa Laird Dunn, Vice President of Laird & Company (America’s oldest and biggest apple brandy company), the terms “apple brandy” and “applejack” can legally be used interchangeably in the United States.

The term “applejack” came from how the spirit was originally distilled centuries back. “Jacking” was a term used to describe the process of freeze distilling fermented cider. When the ice is removed, it causes a higher concentration of both alcohol and flavor. Few companies use freeze distillation today to produce applejack or apple brandy but you can read this article to see how to do it yourself at home.

With a good supply of apples and cold temperatures, you can see why applejack became a popular spirit for early Americans in the north. In fact, applejack was George Washington’s spirit of choice. Supposedly he is the only person outside of the Laird family to have ever been given their famous applejack recipe. But Washington’s not the only American president with an affinity for the American spirit. Abraham Lincoln sold applejack at his bar (yep, he’s the only president who was also a licensed bartender) and Franklin Roosevelt preferred to make his Manhattans with it. Don’t you wanna go out and buy a bottle now?

Once you go outside of the US, though, apple brandy terminology gets a little more technical. Calvados, a famous style of apple brandy, hails from Normandy. For an apple brandy to be considered Calvados, it has to be from the Calvados region of Normandy and must be aged. Applejack and American brandy don’t have to be aged.

The Chowhound article goes waaay more in-depth about the differences between American applejack/apple brandy and Calvados. It’s an interesting read but incase you don’t feel like spending 8 minutes reading about the differences, just know that if you’re in America, it’s pretty safe to assume that applejack = apple brandy.

Let me know if you make the Jack Rose in a comment, by posting it in the Girl & Tonic Facebook page, or tagging me on Instagram.

Ingredients for a Jack Rose Cocktail

1 1/2 to 2 oz apple brandy (also called applejack)
3/4 oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 oz grenadine (I prefer to use a high quality one with no artificial colors or ingredients)

How to Make a Jack Rose Cocktail

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. Sip and feel like a classy American.

Jack Rose Cocktail

The Jack Rose is a classic America cocktail made with applejack (apple brandy), lemon juice, and grenadine. It's a little tart, a little sweet, and very American. Make one and discover why so many American presidents and icons love a good applejack-based cocktail.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 3 mins

Course Drinks

Servings 1

Equipment

cocktail shaker

Ingredients

1½-2 oz apple brandy*
¾ oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed
½ oz grenadine

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake well, about 20 seconds.
Strain into a coupe glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist.

Notes

*Apple brandy and applejack can be used interchangeably in the US. Read my blog post for more information about these two terms.

Keyword apple brandy, applejack, grenadine, lemon juice

vodka

Dirty Shirley | The Boozy Version of a Childhood Favorite

by corrie.pennington / July 7, 2020

The Dirty Shirley is the boozy version of the Shirley Temple, a childhood favorite of many. To make a Dirty Shirley, you'll only need 4 ingredients: vodka, Sprite, grenadine syrup, and a maraschino cherry.

I bet you’ve heard of the infamous mocktail called the Shirley Temple. It’s an iconic drink and rightfully so. But today I’m talking about the grown-up version: the Dirty Shirley.

The Shirley Temple is *the* quintessential mocktail in my opinion. This famous nonalcoholic drink has maintained its popularity from its creation in the 1930s. There are several stories about who created this drink and where it was created, but all versions are clear about who it was created for: Shirley Temple.

While we don’t know which bartender in which restaurant created it originally, we do know that someone somewhere made Shirley Temple her own special drink while she was eating dinner out with her parents. Some say that Shirley was whining a bit because her parents got to enjoy special drinks like Old Fashioneds and some leave that anecdote out. Personally I envision Shirley politely raising her little hand and asking the waiter for her own special concoction. Fill in the unrecorded details as you want.

Just as the exact history of the Shirley Temple drink is a bit fuddled, the exact recipe is unclear, too. Some recipes use lemon-lime soda while others use ginger ale. There’s even a recipe out there that uses orange juice. However, there are two non-negotiable ingredients: grenadine and a maraschino cherry.

But what is grenadine? It’s a bar ingredient easily recognized by many thanks to its bright-red hue, and yet few people I’ve talked to know what it is. The common assumption is that it’s a cherry-flavored syrup. This is probably due in large part to its connection with the Shirley Temple which is always garnished with a cherry. It’s an understandable assumption. But grenadine is a pomegranate-flavored syrup. Yep. Google it.

I LOVED ordering Shirley Temples as a kid. I remember them being a really special treat when we would go out to eat. And while I would still definitely slam a Shirley Temple now, a Dirty Shirley is more my style.

When you make your Dirty Shirley, you can make it with your liquor of choice, but I opt for vodka. Vodka’s got a really clean, bright taste that blends in nicely. If you’re not wanting to taste the alcohol in a drink, use vodka.

A quick note about grenadine brands. The most commonly-known and widely-available brand is Rose’s. It’s what I first bought. But over the years, I’ve become exposed to more brands and I’ve also raised my standards a bit. Rose’s will do if that’s what you have. BUT if you haven’t invested in any grenadine yet, you should get Barsmith’s grenadine or Liber & Co’s grenadine. Both of them use real pomegranate juice, pure cane sugar (not corn syrup), and only use natural coloring. Barsmith’s ingredients are even non-GMO.

Barsmith is the brand in my fridge now and its definitely more tart and less red than Rose’s. I really like it. When I run out, I’m gonna give Liber & Co a try. I’ve heard great things about their other syrups so I’m sure their grenadine is great, too.

Feel free to experiment with this classic Dirty Shirley recipe. Add some lime juice or orange juice for a fun twist. I cut the grenadine amount in half and subbed in some of my cherry pit simple syrup. It was reeally good. You can also try making it with lemon-lime La Croix or Spindrift if you’re trying to watch your calories and sugar intake

If you make a Dirty Shirley, be sure to tag on me on Instagram –> @girlandtonic_

Ingredients for a Dirty Shirley

1 1/2 oz vodka
3/4 oz grenadine
8 oz (1 cup) lemon-lime soda or ginger ale
cherry, to garnish

How to Make a Dirty Shirley

Add ice to a Collins glass or another tall glass. Pour in the vodka, the soda, and the grenadine. Stir to combine. Garnish with a cherry. I used a fresh cherry, but the traditional recipe calls for a maraschino cherry.