It is almost impossible to discuss New Jersey's own Laird’s Distillery Applejack without mentioning the Jack Rose Cocktail. Like most classic cocktails that have stood the test of time, the Jack Rose’s beauty lies in its simplicity. When properly executed, the balance of Applejack, freshly squeezed citrus juice and genuine pomegranate grenadine make for a truly sublime cocktail.
The Jack Rose recipe appeared in print for the first time around 1905, apparently given to Bill Boothby by downtown New York bartender, R. H. Townes. Over the years, there have been different theories attributing the cocktail’s name to gangster ‘Bald Jack’ Rose or Jersey City bartender, Frank J. May, aka Jack Rose.
Ingredients
2 oz. Laird’s Applejack
3/4 oz. Fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz. Pomegranate Grenadine
Instructions
1. Fill cocktail shaker halfway with ice
2. Add all ingredients and shake well
3. Strain into a coupe/martini glass
4. Garnishing with a slice of lime (or apple) is optional
THE ORIGINS OF APPLEJACK.
Apple brandy was first produced in colonial New Jersey in 1698 by William Laird, a Scots American. Laird's great-grandson, Robert Laird, who served in the Continental Army incorporated Laird's Distillery in 1780. The oldest licensed applejack distillery in the United States, Laird & Company of Scobeyville, NJ was until the 2000s the country's only remaining producer of applejack, and continues to dominate applejack production to this day.
