Yes, I Did Make a Whiskey and Rosé Cocktail

Earlier this week, I helped throw a little party to celebrate my friend Bev’s second season of her Food Network show, Mom Wins. The party was held at her (and my) favorite Kansas City home store, Golden & Pine, and even though Bev was already planning to show up with an entire case of rosé (because it’s her favorite) as far as I’m concerned, it’s not a party until I also show up with a cocktail. And since rosé is Bev’s fave, I decided I’d make a rosé cocktail. And since whiskey is my fave, I decided I’d make a whiskey and rosé cocktail.

So, yes. Yes I did that. I made a cocktail with whiskey and rosé. And you know what? It was fucking delightful. So delightful, in fact, Bev went home with, well, pretty much a case of rosé (#sorrynotsorry, Bev!).

The good news? It’s really simple! The not-as-good news? You do have to make a syrup on the stove, but you can make it ahead and store it in the fridge for a while. Oh, and use bubbly rosé for this because bubbles are the best.

Okay, so now I’m about to hit you with three recipes, but don’t panic. They’re all getting you to the same place (drunk!). The first actually won’t get you drunk, since it’s just for the strawberry syrup. The second is the cocktail for one, and the third is if you want to just use a whole fucking bottle of rosé and make a big batch of punch.

Strawberry Syrup

This recipe makes a lot of syrup. Six cups to be exact, except it’s probably not exactly six cups. But it will be close. Feel free to cut it in half if you’re not planning to make a few rounds of this in punch form.

INGREDIENTS

6 cups water
6 cups sugar
2-ish pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered

DIRECTIONS

Add the sugar and water to a large saucepan or small stockpot and bring to a boil while stirring. Once the sugar is fully dissolved, add the strawberries and remove from the heat. Let the mixture sit for at least 30 minutes then strain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve (but don’t smush the strawberries to release more syrup — just don’t do it, OKAY?!). Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container to store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Whiskey and Rosé Cocktail

INGREDIENTS

½ ounce strawberry syrup
½ ruby red grapefruit juice (or that stuff that’s called Ruby Red, but is made from a few different types of juice)
1 ounce whiskey (I used Old Overholt Rye)
2.5 ounces bubbly rosé
3 dashes angostura bitters

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients to an old fashioned or stemless wine glass, add a large ice cube or a handful of ice, and if you’re feeling fancy, garnish it with a strawberry.

Whiskey Rosé Punch

If you want to make a big-ass batch of this and serve it like punch like we did at Bev’s party (I mean, you’re already opening a bottle of rosé, so why wouldn’t you want to do that?!) I did some fucking math AND conversions for you. You’re welcome.

INGREDIENTS

150 mL (1 part) strawberry syrup
150 mL (1 part) ruby-red grapefruit juice
300 mL (2 parts) whiskey
750 mL (5 parts / a bottle!) sparkling rosé
A shitton dashes Angostura bitters

DIRECTIONS

Add everything to a punch bowl or drink dispenser, stir and enjoy!

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