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Cocktail History
The Wild Rose is a modern cocktail that was first published in The Official Downton Abbey Cocktail Book by Lou Bustamante. It was created as a variation of the Prince of Wales that calls for sparkling wine, pineapple, cherry, and bitters but uses whiskey as the base spirit instead of tequila. The drink was named for Lady Rose MacClare, one of the more fun-loving and rebellious female characters in the television show Downton Abbey, and according to the book, it uses tequila because it was a spirit that would’ve been known in 1920s England but less common because it was from the Americas, where Lady Rose eventually moves.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Sparkling Wine: This is a carbonated wine made with white or red grapes. We used Villa Bellezza Winery Brillante because it has a light and airy flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Gruvi Non-Alcoholic Prosecco in place of the sparkling wine.
Tequila Blanco: This is a spirit made with unaged agave and water. We used El Jimador Tequila Silver because it has a light and palatable agave flavor with notes of grapefruit and apple. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Agave Blanco Spirit in place of the tequila.
Pineapple Gum Syrup: This is a sweetener made with pineapple juice, white sugar, gum Arabic powder, and citric acid. We made ours at home using Alex’s sous vide recipe.
Maraschino Liqueur: This is a liqueur made with Maraschino cherries, honey, herbs, spices, sugar, and alcohol. We used Luxardo Maraschino Orginale Liqueur because it has a distinct earthy aroma and sweet cherry flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Trader Vic’s Premium Maraschino Cherry Syrup in place of the cherry liqueur.
Aromatic Bitters: This is a food product made with botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. We used Angostura Aromatic Bitters. For a mocktail version of this drink, try All The Bitter Alcohol-Free Aromatic Bitters in place of the aromatic bitters.
Orange Twist: This is the peel of an orange that has been twisted into a corkscrew shape.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Peeler: This is used to remove the garnish peel from the citrus. We used the OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Peeler Set.
Tasting Notes
The Wild Rose features aromas of cherry liqueur and sparkling wine, a bright but dry initial taste with a tingle from the bubbly’s carbonation, and notes of agave and pineapple as it goes down.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: When we made the Wild Rose, we tweaked the ingredients slightly and used homemade pineapple gum syrup instead of a chunk of pineapple. Although similar to the classic Prince of Wales, we thought it was a refreshing but dry sipper that’s bubbly and bright while still being a bit brooding in the after notes, a very fitting recipe for Rose.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“When we first made this, we took a couple of liberties with the recipe to make it both a bit more palatable to us and a bit more easy to make featuring our ingredients. This included the substitution of pineapple syrup instead of muddled pineapple and omitted the standard simple syrup altogether. This overall off-dry drink is very similar to the Prince of Wales but with some agave notes instead of rye spice, and in my opinion, it’s still good but not better than the whiskey version.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“Between this variation and the classic Prince of Wales, I think I like this one a bit better! The rye in the original is just a bit too spicy and overpowering, in my opinion, while the tequila does a better job of blending in. This combination of flavors still isn’t quite my favorite, so I don’t know that I would try it again. But it’s another unique one! And I love any chance we get to use our delicious pineapple syrup.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Official Downton Abbey Cocktail Book: Appropriate Libations for All Occasions by Lou Bustamante.
Add tequila, pineapple gum syrup, maraschino liqueur, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Top with sparkling wine.
Garnish with orange twist.
Ingredients
Directions
Add tequila, pineapple gum syrup, maraschino liqueur, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Top with sparkling wine.
Garnish with orange twist.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Gruvi Non-Alcoholic Prosecco in place of the sparkling wine, Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Agave Blanco Spirit in place of the tequila, Trader Vic’s Premium Maraschino Cherry Syrup in place of the cherry liqueur, and All The Bitter Alcohol-Free Aromatic Bitters in place of the aromatic bitters to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Spring Cocktails
If you like this spring-inspired cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
The Garden Rose (Variation): A tequila and sparkling wine cocktail made with elderflower liqueur, strawberry syrup, lemon juice, rose water, and a strawberry rose
Lavender Sour: A gin cocktail made with lemon juice, Green Chartreuse, lavender syrup, egg white, and dried lavender buds
The Cherry Blossom: A sake and gin cocktail made with maraschino liqueur, grenadine, triple sec, lemon juice, and a cherry
Tequila Honeysuckle: A tequila cocktail made with honey syrup, lime juice, and a lime slice
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