Rose
The days are longer, the skies are drier and the air is lighter. What’s your cocktail doing? Mine at the moment is reciprocating.
The Rose, a 1920’s Parisian creation by Johnny Mitta of the Hotel Chatham is the lightest of drinks, nice and dry with a long finish; just like the Pacific Northwest’s weather this Easter weekend (so far anyway).
The Rose’s cherries are a perfect example of what a garnish should do. All too often, garnishes are added to cocktails with little thought as to why they are being unceremoniously flung into the glass. I’ve always been of the mindset that if an ingredient doesn’t add anything to the drink, don’t use it: garnishes included.
The cherries in the Rose really pull this drink together, helping facilitate the flirtation between the vermouth and kirshwasser, keeping the resulting wet spot (in your glass that is) intertwined and connected. Bites of cherry in between sips draw this light airy cocktail into an extremely long finish.
Before you try this drink yourself, a word to the wise: maraschino cherries are no substitute. In fact, if you possess some of these radioactive abominations of nature throw them out post-haste, and get yourself to a specialty delicatessen (DeLaurenti’s in Seattle, Dean & Deluca in New York and California being some examples), and buy yourself some proper, brandied cherries. My current favorites are Griottine‘s, and as such I’ve used them for the Rose.
ROSE
2 oz Noilly Prat dry vermouth
1 oz kirshwasser
1 bar spoon raspberry liqueur
stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
garnish with 3 Griottine cherries (essential)
Picture by:
Jamie Boudreau
.
SpiritsAndCocktails.com 
Jamie, I sent you an email a couple of days ago, but it may not have made it to you or my out-of-control spam filter may have caught your reply. Could you please drop me a line?
I’m always looking for better brandied cherries. I’ve tried reconstituting my own from dried cherries, plain Morello cherries, and obviously the sugar bombs known as Maraschinos. I’m intrigued by your recommendation of Griottines, but upon inquiry was only able to find wholesale importers in the US. Any advice for us normal consumers on how to obtain them? Or perhaps any other recommendations for cherries (I’ve heard amarino (sp?) cherries work well, but can’t find them anywhere either).
http://www.swissconnection.com/sc101101/product.asp?dept_id=107&pf_id=100601
[…] ROSE […]
More in Store for Original NOILLY PRAT than the Original Martini Cocktail « The Intoxicologist Is In said this on January 14, 2009 at 11:10 am |
This sounds like a delightful cocktail. I read about it a while back and have since seen several others using kirschwasser that sound very good. I’ve had some trouble finding kirschwasser for sale, and when I have they’ve been very expensive. I’d like to know what you like to use, and maybe some suggestions for well priced bottles.
Thanks for the great recipe and any help.
There are many good brands of kirsch, unfortunately they are all going to be expensive; that is the nature of eau-de-vies. In the PNW we are fortunate to have Clear Creek produce a quality kirsch, which I have been known to use.