Jack Rose Cocktail: A "Literate" Drink

Ernest Hemingway mentions this cocktail in "The Sun Also Rises" and it was one of John Steinbeck's favorite drinks. The name combines the "jack" of applejack and "rose" from the color of the cocktail. 

Please don't let yourself be consumed by glass types for various drinks. No question about it, sometimes the glass type can make a great impression in a drink's presentation, but I wouldn't go out and buy every shape and size cocktail glass in sight. Once this cocktail is shaken or stirred, it will produce a cocktail of about 4 ounces, which means you can't use a 3 1/2 ounce glass, and I know that, after much trial and error. hahaha  I've seen this cocktail in fluted glasses and in coupe glasses, but myself, I've made it while wearing sunglasses. hahaha (Hey, you try pouring 4 ounce drinks into 3 1/2 ounce glasses, drinking your mistakes, and see what kind of remarks you make.) 

 

 

Ingredients (per drink):

 

2 1/2 ounces applejack or apple brandy

3/4 ounce lime juice (or lemon juice)

1/2 ounce grenadine

slice of lime (or lemon) for garnish + cherry

ice

shaker or other container for stirring

strainer

5 ounce glass (coupe or other)

 

Put the ice, applejack or apple brandy, lime juice (or lemon juice), and the grenadine into a cocktail shaker or other container, like a measuring glass or bowl. Shake or stir the ingredients for about 10 to 15 seconds. Strain the drink into the glass of your choice, garnish with lime slice and drop a maraschino cherry into the cocktail (this is, to my knowledge, purely my own addition, but I can't say that with 100% certainty). 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Letter-This word is related to "alliteration," "literal," "literate" and "literature," all Latin-derived words borrowed by English directly from Latin, and to "literary," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from French. The origin of  "letter" is more than a little uncertain, and there is a theory that connects it to Greek via Etruscan, with sound/spelling changes. I can't say it's not possible, but at this point, I'm not really accepting of all of this. What is known is, "letter" goes back to Latin "littera," which meant "a character or symbol used to represent a sound in writing;" that is, "a letter of the alphabet;" thus also, especially in the plural, "writing, document, written message (modern, 'a letter'), book/books." This passed to Latin-based Old French as "letre," meaning "character used to represent sound in writing, a message," and this later became "lettre." English borrowed the word around 1200.