The romance of rose-scented drinks
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Roses are everywhere this season – not just on the catwalk but in, and on, drinks too.
To mark the launch of its 2014 Rosé, Rare Champagne has commissioned French artist William Amor to create a limited-edition bottle adorned with a delicate rose made from upcycled plastic. At his atelier in Paris, Amor has made a name for himself “ennobling discarded materials” – other maisons to have featured his floral works include Balenciaga, Balmain and Guerlain. Amor’s inspiration for the Rare bottle was Vigée Le Brun’s Marie Antoinette with a Rose – a nod to the fact that Florens-Louis Heidsieck, the founder of what became Piper-Heidsieck, which today owns Rare, presented his champagne to the French queen at court.
Violet and rose are characteristic of the cuvée, but the floral notes in the 2014 Rosé are “particularly extraordinary”, says chef de cave Emilien Boutillat. The 88 bottles go on sale this spring at £1,500 apiece – a price which also includes an NFT for a six-litre Methuselah of Rare Rosé 2014 to be redeemed in 2032 (£1,500, hedonism.co.uk).
Noma Wild Rose Vinegar (£23) looks set to be a cult cocktail ingredient – it was recently featured in a one-off cocktail collaboration between the Danish restaurant and Ryan Chetiyawardana’s trailblazing London bar Lyaness. Made from the highly perfumed petals of Rosa rugosa, this blush-coloured condiment marries the tang of apple-cider vinegar and a subtle tea-rose scent. Noma likes it in a shrub with soda or in a Noma Bloody Mary. The Lyaness team used it to bring a pop to twists on a Sazerac and a Martinez.
Noma Wild Rose Vinegar, £23, nomaprojects.com
Copenhagen Distillery Mulberry Rose Aquavit, £42.10, amathusdrinks.com
Lanique Spirit of Rose, £37.50, gerrys.uk.com
44°N Gin, €75, 44gin.com
There are plenty of gins that feature rose in the mix – especially notable is 44°N Gin, distilled in Grasse from the prized rose centifolia (€75). But for a botanical drink with a difference, try Copenhagen Distillery’s rosé-coloured Mulberry Rose Aquavit, which marries rose, mulberry, dill, raspberry and marigold with a gin-like finish. Drink long, with tonic (£42.10, amathusdrinks.com). When it comes to rose liqueurs, Lanique (£37.50, gerrys.uk.com) is king; based on attar of rose from the Middle East, it is extravagantly perfumed and silky sweet: just a teaspoon or two in a Negroni or Old Fashioned can be very sophisticated.
The London Essence Raspberry Rose Crafted Soda, £2 for 500ml, sainsburys.co.uk
Avantcha’s Pink Rosebuds Tea, £11 for 50g, avantcha.com
For a non-alcoholic pick-me-up, try London Essence’s new Raspberry and Rose Soda (£2 for 500ml, sainsburys.co.uk). Or a rose petal-laced tea: Persian Apothecary’s pretty 20 Rosewater House Tea is a blend of rose petals, jasmine and green teas, inspired by founder Sheyda Monshizadeh-Azar’s memories of her grandmother’s home in Tehran (from £16 for 75g). My absolute obsession right now, though, is Avantcha’s Pink Rosebuds Tea (£11 for 50g) – it is naively floral and muskily sensual all at once. A true rose, in all its complexity.
Comments