Love Yuzu Cocktail (A Jack Rose Riff)

It's been super warm these past weeks in the Bay Area - WTF, it's February! Punxsutawney Phil predicted six extra weeks of winter, and by golly I will continue drinking like we're in the depths of winter. That means mulled wine, warm sakes, mixing hot water with shochu, and enjoying boozy, brown liquids. 

The Jack Rose is just that cocktail - warming, with a mellow sweetness, packed with an alcoholic punch. Earnest Hemingway featured to cocktail in The Sun Also Rises and it is said to have been the drink of preference for the great writer John Steinbeck!

I am a big fan of cocktails with minimal ingredients and the Jack Rose fits the bill. It is made with Applejack, grenadine, and lemon or lime juice. Applejack is not so different from apple brandy – some say the former is more mellow than the latter, and the main point of difference is its distillation process. 

We're in the middle of Love Yuzu Month at Umami Mart so I wanted to use our Yuzu Sake in a cocktail. I tried substituting the yuzu sake for lemon juice and it worked wonderfully. Although the apple brandy is usually the foremost ingredient in this drink, I inverted it so there is more yuzu sake here. This is so that the yuzu can impart its unique floral element while also making this a lower ABV drink. The grenadine adds a tartness and the apple brandy is of course what makes this cocktail super cozy, like you're sitting in front of a fire, puzzling with your boo. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

INGREDIENTS
2 oz yuzu sake
1 oz applejack or apple brandy
0.5 oz grenadine 

TOOLS
Cocktail Shaker
Jigger
Strainer

GLASSWARE
Stella Coupe

METHOD

1. Measure out the three ingredients into a shaker.

2. Add plenty of ice into the shaker and shake.

I like to use a Boston Shaker for this drink to get as much air moving in the drink, which will give you a nice icy froth when straining the cocktail. This drink is quite sweet from the combo of the sake, apple brandy and syrup, so I would shake this for at least 30 seconds to get a good dilution.

3. Strain.

Nice icy film, right?

Go into your back yard in this wonderful 70˚F weather and chill out with your honey.

Only in California!