On Christmas Eve, J’s brother mixed several dangerously delicious cocktails. He gets his kicks reviving old time, elegant but sometimes forgotten drinks. Just to be clear, we’re not talking apple-tini or red bull and vodka. On the menu that day were seven classics including Whiskey Sour, Gin Rickey, Manhattan and Champagne with Elder Flower. I went with the Jack Rose, a cocktail popular in the 1920s and 1930s. It had a supporting roll in Hemingway’s book The Sun Also Rises; it was Jake Barnes’ drink of choice while waiting for Brett Ashley in a Paris hotel bar. “Drink it while it’s still laughing at you,” J’s brother likes to say.
Jack Rose
1 1/2 oz Applejack
1 oz lemon or lime juice
2 dashes grenadine
(1/2 oz simple syrup)
cherry
Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.
