Sonza’s Wilson Cocktail

1/2 Gin. (1 oz Square One Botanical*)
1/2 Cherry Brandy. (1 oz Clear Creek Kirsch)
4 Dashes Lemon Juice or Lime Juice. (10ml Lemon Juice)
4 Dashes Grenadine. (10ml Small Hand Foods Grenadine)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Well, after using Tequila in the last cocktail, what do I have to lose?

This is another cocktail in the “Rose” family, which, by all rights should be composed of 1 oz of Gin, 1 oz of Cherry Heering, dashes of lemon, and dashes of Grenadine.

I’m sorry, but that didn’t sound very appealing at all. So I decided to throw that idea to the wind, and give this a twist.

Square One Botanical is a vodka infused with various botanicals and then distilled. But for the fact that it has no Juniper, it could almost be a gin. When I decided to use Kirsch for this, I also thought, hm, Square One Botanical!

However, as Square One Botanical did not exist in 1930, I suppose I should think of another name…

How about this?

Rosa californica**

1 oz Square One Botanical
1 oz Kirsch (Cherry Eau-de-Vie)
2 10ml/2tsp. Lemon Juice
2 10ml/2tsp. Grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

And goddamn, I was as right with this idea as I was wrong with the Sonora. Floral, light, and delicious. Very nice. Though, technically, if I really want to make a cocktail called “Wild California Rose”, I should be using a Kirsch from this state. Doesn’t St. George make one?

Most importantly, should you order this cocktail during the next Savoy Night at Alembic Bar, May 23rd, 2010? Well, unless you ask specifically for the underhill version, you will probably get the rather sickly sweet sounding exact Savoy recipe. I am also not sure if Alembic even has Square One Botanical. Seems like pretty dodgy chances.

*The Square One Botanical in this cocktail was sent to me by Square One. It works quite well in this cocktail. Unfortunately, it’s fairly unique, so I have no real substitution suggestions. Hendrick’s maybe, though it would be a very different drink.

**The “Scientific” name for the Wild California Rose. Hrm. OK, fine, Mr. Stickler man, it’s actually the Linnaean classification for the Wild California Rose.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.