The Irish Rose Cocktail

A delightful way to enjoy Irish whiskey

St. Patrick’s Day is on the horizon. So we’ll need to have a drink. Or three.

And what better drink than Irish whiskey? It’s good on its own, of course. But if you’re inclined to fill your shaker with ice, the Irish Rose is one of best cocktails you can mix up to celebrate March 17th.

It’s a beautiful drink, too. And as we know, pink and green pair nicely.

Recipe: The Irish Rose Cocktail

This drink is a close cousin of the Jack Rose Cocktail. But the Irish Rose substitutes Irish whiskey for apple brandy and often adds sparkling water to the mix.

The color and sweetness in this drink are added by grenadine or raspberry syrup. Commercial syrups work fine, but you can also make your own. See our recipes for Homemade Grenadine and Homemade Raspberry Syrup (read down to the Notes of the linked Clover Club Cocktail post for the syrup recipe).

Our recipe for the Irish Rose is adapted from that of cocktail historian extraordinaire David Wondrich.

This recipe takes about 5 minutes to prepare and serves one.

 Ingredients

• 2 ounces Irish whiskey (any brand that strikes your fancy; see Notes)
• ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice (may want to increase to ¾ ounces; see Notes)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons grenadine or raspberry syrup (to taste; we prefer 2 teaspoons)
• ~½ ounce sparkling water (optional; see Notes)
• garnish of lime twist or wheel (optional)

Procedure

1. Add the Irish whiskey, lime juice, and grenadine or raspberry syrup to a cocktail shaker that’s half filled with ice. Shake vigorously until the contents are well chilled (about 20 seconds).
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Top with sparkling water (if using) and optional garnish. Serve.

Notes

• Commercial grenadine and raspberry syrup may be sweeter than homemade. So if you’re using commercial, you may want to go with less than we recommend.
• Or you could use a bit more lime juice. The trick with this drink (as with so many cocktails) is to balance the sweet/sour ratio of the ingredients.
• We like to serve this drink “up” in a cocktail glass. But it’s also good on the rocks, served in a rocks (Old-Fashioned) glass.
• Sparkling water gives the drink some fizz. We add it after shaking the drink and straining it into a glass. Because shaking fizzy water can get . . . messy.
• In the US, the brands of Irish whiskey you’re most likely to find are Jameson and Bushmills. Both are good – and are available just about everywhere liquor is sold. Bushmills and Jameson both make basic blended versions (their less expensive offerings), as well as more expensive premium bottlings. Either version will work in this drink.
• There are other brands of Irish whiskey, of course. And if you like the smooth flavor of Irish whiskey, you’ll probably want to experiment. Ask your friendly local spirits dealer for suggestions.

Flying Colors

“Gorgeous cocktail!” said Mrs. Kitchen Riffs. “I’m in the pink.”

“Color me happy,” I said. “Your cheeks are certainly rosy.”

“My nose will be too,” said Mrs K R. “If I drink too many of these.”

“But I can talk you into just one more?” I said.

“Of course,” said Mrs K R. “We may start our own color revolution.”

Man the barricades. We’re letting our hooch flags fly!

You may also enjoy reading about:
Jack Rose Cocktail
Black Velvet Cocktail
Blackthorn Cocktail
Brainstorm Cocktail
Hearn's Cocktail
Paddy Cocktail
Irish Coffee
Homemade Grenadine
Clover Club Cocktail
Leap Year Cocktail
Cocktail Basics
Or check out the index for more