Jack Rose Cocktail: Apple Brandy, Lime and Grenadine Classic for Crisp Autumn Evenings

Make the grenadine: warm the pomegranate juice and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Cool, stir in the orange blossom water and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 ounces applejack or bonded apple brandy
• 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 ounce real pomegranate grenadine (see note)
• Ice cubes, for shaking
• 1 thin apple slice or lime twist, for garnish
• For homemade grenadine: 1 cup pure pomegranate juice
• For homemade grenadine: 1 cup granulated sugar
• For homemade grenadine: 1/4 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)

Instructions

1. Make the grenadine: warm the pomegranate juice and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Cool, stir in the orange blossom water and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
2. Chill a coupe or cocktail glass in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
3. Add the apple brandy, lime juice and grenadine to a cocktail shaker.
4. Fill the shaker two-thirds with ice, seal it and shake hard for 12 to 15 seconds until the outside is frosty.
5. Double-strain through a fine sieve into the chilled glass for a silky, ice-free drink.
6. Garnish with a thin apple slice floated on top or a lime twist and serve immediately.
7. Taste and adjust: if your apples or grenadine run tart, add a barspoon more grenadine; for a drier drink, cut it back to a scant 1/2 ounce.
8. The Jack Rose is one of America's oldest classic cocktails, built on applejack from Laird and Company of New Jersey, the oldest licensed distillery in the United States. It was wildly popular in the early 1900s and appears in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, where Jake Barnes drinks one in a Paris bar. Its name likely nods to both the applejack and its glowing rose-pink color, and with its crisp orchard fruit and bright lime it is the perfect drink for apple-picking season.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 200 kcal
• Protein: 0g
• Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 14g
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 12g
• Sodium: 5mg