The Wins:

A perfect blend between sweet and bitter
4 ingredients
Aperitif/Digestif, aids in digestion

[2 minute read]

You’ve made the Red Rose & Honey syrup and you’ve tried it in some tea and you’re like “Huh. Alright, what now?”

Try this.

Besides the fact that after I posted the recipe for the rose syrup, my friend said “Alright, now make a drink with that” so I’ve been testing drinks on the reg…an old fashioned is my go to every time. Not too sweet, not harsh in any way, it’s like the Goldilocks of cocktails.

This one is just a little more…pink. I feel Barbie would approve.

The rose is diluted a bit so if you’re not super hyped about drinking flowery things, this will work. The rhubarb bitters bring a random ‘otherness’ to it and the Campari brings both color and bitterness. It’s just so good. And yes, the above statement is true, it does contain a pretty good portion of bitter components so it’s perfect as a pre- or post-dinner drink.

Rose & Rhubarb Old Fashioned (or the Blushing Bachelorette)

• 2 oz bourbon, your favorite
• 1/2 oz Rose Honey Syrup, chilled
• 1/4 oz Campari
• 3 dashes rhubarb bitters
• tall glass filled with ice + strainer of some sort
• stirring spoon, chopstick or long butterknife
• a pretty glass

Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour the bourbon, Campari and rose syrup over ice, add the 3 dashes of rhubarb bitters. Stir slowly 50 times. Now, you may ask, “Why 50 times?” Because the father of a dear friend once told me that the perfect old fashioned was stirred 50 times and it’s 100% true. You get just the right amount of chill and dilution and it is, perfect. Once stirred the appropriate rounds, strain into your favorite pretty glass. For a little extra sweetness, dust one small edge with Vanilla Rose Sugar, made by mixing those leftover red rose petals (that I know you have sitting in your pantry because you bought some to make the syrup and now don’t know what else to use them for) in with some cane sugar. Crush it about a bit wet the side of the glass and roll it in the rose sugar. Now, go sip and enjoy.