If you’re looking for something a bit different to ring in Valentine’s Day, this rum and rose drink may be it. The recipe is created by Ari Ballard, the Events Coordinator at Turning Tables, a New Orleans-based bar training program for Black and Brown hospitality professionals. It makes use of rum from Oxbow Rum Distillery, made using sugarcane grown in Pointe Coupée, Louisiana, on the banks of the Mississippi River.
As well as the rum, the Cupid Spritz incorporates the always popular additions of lemon juice for sharpness and soda water for fizz, but it’s the rose petals and rose syrup that really mark this drink out as a Valentine’s Day special. Rose can be a tricky ingredient to work with because of its strong floral flavor, so it is used here in just a small splash of rose syrup to give a hint of lush floral flavors without being overpowering.
You can easily make your own rose syrup from fresh or dried rose petals. You’ll need these for the drink’s garnish anyway, so pick up some extras and add them to equal parts of sugar and water in a pan. Heat the mixture gently, stirring to combine the flavors, then let it cool and strain out the rose petals to leave you with a delicate and delicious rose syrup.
Cupid Spritz
Ingredients:
- 2oz Oxbow Estate Rhum Louisiane Agricole
- 3/4oz lemon juice
- 3/4oz rose syrup
- Soda Water
- Rose petals for garnish
Method:
- Add Oxbow Estate Rhum Louisiane Agricole, lemon juice and rose syrup to a Collins glass and stir.
- Add ice and top with soda water.
- Swizzle and garnish with edible rose buds
