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This Kirsch Rose Cocktail Recipe is a classy cocktail that is perfect for a small gettogether! If you and your party guests love cherry and drinks on the sweeter side, this cocktail is for you!

A Kirsch Rose Cocktail Recipe in in a coupe glass. The liquid is a deep red and there is a linen behind the glass and cherries to the left of it.

THE KIRSCH ROSE COCKTAIL IS PERFECT

Here’s the scene.

You want to have a fun cocktail party at your place. You’re super excited to have some friends over, enjoy some finger foods like these parmesan toasts, and try out a few new cocktails.

You and you’re friends have very different tastes, and being the amazing host you are, you know you need a couple options. One that’s on more floral and citrusy for you and maybe something on the sweeter side for your friend.

You are in luck! I’ve got the Seventh Heaven Cocktail for you (it’s my go-to cocktail) and The Kirsch Rose Cocktail Recipe.

It’s the perfect cocktail for your friend. A little on the sweeter side from the grenadine and a nice cherry flavor from the Kirsch. She’ll love it!

THE ORIGINAL ROSE COCKTAIL

Like most of my cocktail recipes, I was inspired by The Savoy Cocktail Book. If you’ve been here a while, you know that it’s full of old school recipes that, sometimes are on the more “medicinal” side.

This Kirsch Rose Cocktail Recipe is not that. Yeah, it does have that little bite which can come with some cocktails, but the cherry from the kirsch and the grenadine really balance it out.

When researching this recipe, I actually tried out many versions of it. In The Savoy Cocktail Book, this inspiration for this recipe is actually called The French Style No. 3 Rose Cocktail.

The book also has the English Rose Cocktail, which has grenadine, gin, and a few other ingredients. The French Style Rose Cocktail No. 1 has cherry brandy, gin, and vermouth. The French Style No. 2 Rose Cocktail has cherry brandy, kirsch, and gin.

Then there is version No. 3, which was my favorite.

a close up of a deep red cocktail in a coupe glass with a luxardo cherry on a copper cocktail pic

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE SWEET

When testing out different versions of this Kirsch Rose Cocktail recipe, I found most of them to be too spirit forward for my liking.

The kirsch, which is not sweet, had too much of a bite for me. It just wasn’t hitting the mark. So, I ended up with this recipe. It’s definitely sweeter than its inspiration, I added quite a bit more grenadine than it originally called for, but not too sweet. I think it’s a delicious cocktail.

THE KEY INGREDIENT: GRENADINE

When it comes to recipes like this where there are few ingredients, the quality of your ingredients really stands out.

There might be a time and place for Roses Grenadine, but this is not it. I’ve definitely used it for making big-batch punches for large parties and I used to use it for cocktails until I learned about real grenadine.

Grenadine is actually a sweet and tart pomegranate syrup and when you have a cocktail made with it for the first time, you’ll love it! The color is also a more muted deep red, which is why the Kirsch Rose Cocktail recipe in my photos are not bright red.

There are a lot of quality grenadines out there, but currently, I’m using the small-batch one from Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. That’s what I used for this cocktail and it really makes for a nice cocktail.

HOW TO MAKE THE KIRSCH ROSE COCKTAIL RECIPE

It’s a cocktail, so there isn’t much to it, right?

In this case, you’re right, but that isn’t the case with all cocktails. Some you need to shake ingredients in a specific order and some need to be stirred and built perfectly to get the right flavors.

For this Kirsch rose cocktail, you need to shake it like crazy! When shaking, the ice will melt and dilute the cocktail to help balance it out.

Use your shaker of choice and serve in a chilled coupe or your favorite glass. Cheers!

KIRSCH ROSE COCKTAIL RECIPE TIPS

These tips will hopefully make your cocktail shaking go super easily!

INGREDIENT TIPS

When looking for kirsch, make sure you don’t end up with a cherry liqueur. Kirsch is an unsweetened eau de vie and very different than a sweet cherry liqueur. I use Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser in my cocktails and baking.
Make sure to consider using a real grenadine like one from Jack Rudy or Stirrings.
For your garnish, fresh cherries are wonderful if they are in season! If no, a Luxardo cherry is wonderful year-round!

KITCHEN TOOL RECOMMENDATION

There are quite a few options for shakers when making cocktails, but my favorite is the Boston Shaker. I love the Boston Shaker because I like how it seals, it makes me feel like a cool bartender (I’m not), and there are some really pretty ones. If you’re in need of new barware in general, Cocktail Kingdom is a great place to find killer products!

Kirsch Rose Cocktail Recipe - a deep red colored cocktail in a coupe glass with a luxardo garnish and cherries in the background

SHAKE IT UP

Alright friend, are you making the Kirsch Rose Cocktail Recipe tonight? I hope you love it as much as I do!

When you give it a go, make sure to share a pic and tag me on Instagram so I can see how awesome you did. It honestly makes me super happy to see you making my recipes!