Rose Petal

Boxes and Booze

Aug 27

The classic “flower petal” cocktail is certainly the Daisy, a simple citrus sour which goes back well over a century and has many interpretations. The Brandy Daisy can be found in the pages of the father of mixology, “Professor” Jerry Thomas’s The Bartenders Guide or How To Mix Drinks: The Bon-Vivants Companion, 1876, where the curious instructions to mix 3 or 4 dashes of gum syrup, 2 or 3 dashes of Curaçao liqueur, the juice of half a small lemon, 1 small wine-glass of brandy and 2 dashes of Jamaica rum, served over shaved ice and topped with seltzer, are to be found. Over time the base spirits have changed, depending on the times, like the popular Gin Daisy of the 1930s. Herbal yellow Chartreuse is often included, lemon may be exchanged for orange, and grenadine is likely to replace the simple syrup for sweetness. The Daisy gave way to more recognizable classics like the Side Car, and of course, the Margarita (which means daisy in Spanish).

But I haven’t made a Daisy. This flower petal grew organically as I built it, and after various iterations and ingredients became a rosy and sweet variation on the Negroni (not very surprising, since that is one of my favorite cocktails and templates). The drink features a gin base, which is a great way to anchor a floral cocktail, and the classic spirit in a Negroni. To that is added the lightly bitter aperitif Cocchi Rosa and the mild red bitter amaro Capaletti. Cocchi Americano is an aromatized wine from the Italian town of Asti, originally formulated in 1891. The bottles feature a futuristic rooster (designed in 1930) which symbolizes the awakening of the appetite (the true purpose of an aperitif). The Rosa formula uses a Piedmont red wine infused with gentian, cinchona, citrus zests and rose petals and has a lightly bitter and sweetly floral flavor. Capaletti is another Italian spirit, a classic red bitter produced in the Trento hillside region. It is equally intriguing but less sweet than the well known Campari and brings more balance to this cocktail. A dash of lime bitters ties it all together for a very nice experience. Next time you are bringing flowers to someone, you might try this bunch. Cheers!