The Rose cocktail, originally with kirschwasser, French vermouth, and sirop de groseille (red currant syrup), was effectively the signature drink of Paris from the early 1900s until World War II. Created by Giovanni “Johnny” Mitta (ca. 1877–?), the diminutive Italian head bartender at the Chatham Bar (on Rue Daunou in the city’s American quarter), the drink first appears in print in 1910. Johnny was probably inspired by the most popular perfume of the time, La Rose Jacqueminot, which was so successful that it made its Corsican creator, François Coty (1874–1934), a millionaire.
With the Rose’s popularity came an unusual degree of variation in its recipe: from the early 1900s, one finds many different versions, with some cocktail books offering one, some another, and others compiling all the known variants. Judging from these recipes, it seems that not only did each bartender in Paris have his own version, but even each bartender of the Chatham did, with Albert adding cherry brandy and Santos adding gin (this version became the most widespread). Johnny’s original version, however, is a uniquely lovely drink, delicate, subtle, and intriguing.
Recipe: Stir with ice 60 ml French dry vermouth, 30 ml kirschwasser, and 5 ml red currant or raspberry syrup or grenadine. Garnish with maraschino cherry. For Albert’s version, use 45 ml kirsch, 30 ml vermouth, and 15 ml cherry brandy; for Santos’s, use 30 ml each kirsch, gin, and dry vermouth, with 2 dashes crème de cassis and a dash of strawberry liqueur or syrup.
Cappiello, Leonetto. “La Rose Jacqueminot” (Coty poster). 1901.Chef de Partie. “Rivieriana.” Sporting Times, March 16, 1912, 10.
Gros, Bernard. “Aux Capucines.” Le Figaro, April 27, 1910, 5.
Lupoiu, Jean. 370 recettes de Cocktails. Saigon: Albert Portail, 1927.
By: Fernando Castellon