The history of Rose as a flavour is almost as old as time itself. But if you think that Rose is too old-fashioned, then modern Rose Syrup Cocktails will definitely change your mind.
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Used abundantly across parts of Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa, Roses and their bi-products have been used in everything from cooking and medicine to religious rituals and feasts.
Still used in Syrian and Moroccan cooking today, Rose is predicted to be one of the hot flavour profiles in both cuisine and cocktails for 2019.
With its delicate, floral nature, Jason Crawley from Crawley Simple Syrup Company points out that Rose Syrup can add a depth of floral flavour when used correctly.
“Sometimes it can be a little bit of trial and error,” he says, “but when you get the flavours playing nicely together and the balence is right, it works pretty well.
“Rose Syrup ideal with classic, summery drinks. It loves citrus, it loves sparkling wine and it certainly loves a bit of cream. It also works really well with cooling herbs like Mint and can be a nice floral substitute for any sweetening jobs that need to be done”.
Crawley’s who produce an upmarket Rose Syrup available across Australia, the UK, Hong Kong, China & Singapore, believes that Rose Syrup adds a really interesting flavour to cocktails that “once people try it, it becomes a flavour that they really get into.
“Rose Syrup can work really well in Gin Fizz style drinks with citrus and Prosecco,” he points out, “but then equally well against itself. A drink with different Rose flavours, like a sparkling Rosé with a little bit of Rose Syrup and maybe some Rose Water, can also become quite interesting”.
A versitile flavour that is equally at home with some darker spirits such as Rye as it is with lighter, clear spirits, Rose Syrup is popping up in aperitif cocktails and Spritzes. But Crawley points out that it is not a switch-in, switch-out ingredient and needs to be used carefully.
PIN ITPink Lemonade with Gin
“When you get the flavour right, Rose Syrup can create a wonderful balence, but it has to be used carefully. That sense of challenge is part of its appeal because when you truly harness it, you can create somethingly amazing that has truly wide appeal.
Crawley points out that sometimes it’s far easier to use Rose Syrup than Rose Water in a cocktail to get it that floral edge.
“Being a bi-product of extracted oils, Rose water tends to be quite powerful and hard to control. With the Syrup, the flavour are softer, more delicate and a little bit less lingering; it has a much richer mouth feel and is easier to control”.
Rose Syrup really feels at home during the summer months, where its defining flavour can be both beautiful and powerful at the same time. And even though the flavour provides a certain complexity, Crawley points out that the cocktails themslves do not need to be complex.
“It’s nice in something like a classic Lemonade. You can create a Pink Lemonade with a bit of Gin in it and it’s super easy to make, really pretty and it wouldn’t be too hard to put that together”.
And to prove that point, we have the recipe below –
Pink Lemonade with Gin
Ingredients
1.5oz Gin
0.75oz Rose Syrup
Top with sparkling Lemonade (such as StrangeLove)
Instructions
Build the drink in an ice filled highball by adding the Gin & Rose Syrup and topping with a sparking Lemonade.
