Apple Brandy and Grenadine Make the Jack Rose a Timeless Sour

The Jack Rose cocktail, a vibrant blend of apple brandy, lemon juice, and grenadine, is a testament to early 20th-century mixology. From the turn of the century up through Prohibition, the Jack Rose was wildly popular, and was cited by many prominent writers of the time as one of their favorite drinks. Among the pantheon of classic cocktails, the Jack Rose is also noteworthy for utilizing applejack, a type of American apple brandy, as its base spirit.

No one is precisely sure how the Jack Rose cocktail got its name. Some believe it was named after a notorious gangster or a well-known bartender. In The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails, David Wondrich points to the first known print appearance of the Jack Rose in 1889, where it was attributed to bartender Frank Hass at Fred Eberlin’s bar in New York City. Whatever the historical origins of the name may be, it’s just as likely that the drink was simply named after its main ingredient, applejack, and the drink’s rose-colored hue.

Why the Jack Rose works

The Jack Rose follows the classic format of the sour with a few small adjustments that give it its uniquely fruity and tart flavor profile. Like the Daiquiri or Whiskey Sour, the Jack Rose combines a base spirit with citrus juice and a sweetener. Instead of simple syrup, this recipe calls for grenadine, a pomegranate syrup. Grenadine is a popular cocktail ingredient and is readily available at most liquor stores, but making it at home is simple and ensures quality and freshness.

While this recipe works well with any type of apple brandy, the Jack Rose is traditionally made with applejack, a style of American apple brandy with deep roots in America’s distillation and cocktail history. When making a Jack Rose, bartenders often recommend Laird’s Bottled in Bond Straight Applejack because of its ample proof and authentic, apple-forward flavor profile.