I have something really exciting for all of you today! I recently received a copy of Emily Han’s new book Wild Drinks and Cocktails, and let me tell you, this book is seriously awesome! It is all about wildcrafting herbs and plants and then making delicious drinks with them. Some have alcohol and some are booze-less, but all of the recipes look absolutely divine. I had a hard time choosing which one I would showcase here, but in the end I decided on Rose Hip Whiskey Smash cocktail made with rose hip syrup.
Harvesting Rose Hips for Cocktails
The reason I chose rose hip whiskey smash out of all the incredible looking recipes in Wild Drinks and Cocktails, is that I’ve been eyeing a bunch of wild rose hips up the road.
I’ve been wanting to pick them, and now I have a reason to! This rose hip cocktail will be the perfect way to use them.
Foraging for rose hips is easy, and they are usually abundant in the fall. Rose hips from any variety of rose, wild or cultivated, are edible and can be used.
You’ll need 1-2 cups of foraged rose hips for this recipe.
Rose Hip Whiskey Smash Cocktail Recipe
This is the perfect foraged cocktail for fall and winter when rose hips are in season! It make a delicious festive drink.
Make the Rose Hip Syrup
The first step in making this wild drink is to make rose hip syrup. To do this you will either need to collect some wild rose hips, or find a source of dried rose hips.
I will be following Emily’s recipe for making rose hip syrup here, which boils the syrup after adding the honey to reduce it down even more.
If you want to preserve all the benefits of the raw honey, you can follow my recipe for rose hip syrup. Both will work in the rose hip cocktail recipe!
I collected about a cup of rose hips. The original recipe in Emily’s book calls for 2 cups, so I just scaled it back by half.
Begin making the rose hip syrup by lightly crushing the rose hips using a potato masher or rolling pin.
Combine the rose hips and water in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and mash the rose hips with a potato masher or another mashing tool.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve and discard the solids. Measure the liquid, you should have about ½ cup.
Return the liquid to the saucepan and add the honey. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
Strain through several layers of cheesecloth or coffee filter to catch any little hairs which can irritate the digestive system.
This rose hip syrup, in and of itself, is a nice thing to have on hand as it tastes wonderful and has all of the healing properties of rose hips. You definitely won’t get scurvy with this around!
That said, it makes a great addition to cocktails, like this rose hip whiskey smash.
Make the Rose Hip Cocktail
To make the rose hip whiskey smash, simply muddle the orange wedges with the rose hip syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
Muddle is just a fancy term for smashing it all together. I wonder if that’s why these kind of drink recipes are called smashes? I don’t have fancy cocktail shakers and makers, so I just did it in a glass measuring cup with wooden spoon.
Add the mint leaves and lightly bruise with the muddler. Add the bourbon and ice then shake it well. Strain it into a glass and garnish your drink with a sprig of fresh mint.
I used a martini glass because that’s the only fancy glass that I have. Isn’t is gorgeous?
This drink was tart and sweet all at once, and so much better than any regular cocktail! Delicious and perfect for the holiday season.
It’s so nice knowing where all of your ingredients come from, especially when they are wildcrafted. That is what I love so much about this book, the recipes are fun to prepare from foraging for the ingredients to imbibing in the the drinks themselves. Totally my kind of deal!
I highly recommend Wild Drinks and Cocktails by Emily Han, you’ll love it. And you will definitely love this rose hip whiskey smash recipe!
Herbal Infused Drinks & Cocktails
Dress up your drink with these beautiful herbal infusions!
- Rosemary Champagne Cocktail with Blood Orange
- Persimmon Champagne Cocktail with Sage
- Pomegranate Martini with Rosemary
- Conifer Infused Vodka
- Infused Winter Gin
- Reishi Mushroom Infused Wine
- Raspberry Mint Wine
Rose Hip Whiskey Smash Cocktail
Ingredients
Rose Hip Syrup
- 1 cup fresh rose hips or 1/2 cup dried rose hips
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup honey or sugar
Whiskey Smash (amounts listed are per drink)
- 3 orange wedges preferably blood orange
- 1 ounce rose hip syrup
- 4 to 6 fresh mint leaves
- 2 ounces bourbon or whiskey
- ice cubes
- fresh mint for garnish
Instructions
Rose Hip Syrup
- Lightly crush the rose hips using a potato masher or rolling pin.
- Combine the rose hips and water in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and mash the rose hips with a potato masher or another mashing tool.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve and discard the solids. Measure the liquid, you should have about 1/2 cup.
- Return the liquid to the saucepan and add the honey. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Strain through a cloth or coffee filter to catch any little hairs which can irritate the digestive system.
Rose Hip Whiskey Smash
- Muddle the orange wedges with the rose hip syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add the mint leaves and lightly bruise with the muddler.
- Add the bourbon and ice and shake well. Strain into a glass and garnish with the mint sprig.
Notes
- If you want to preserve all the benefits of the raw honey, you can follow my recipe for rose hip syrup.
So glad you shared this recipe. I have the book and absolutely love it! Medicinal cocktails – another reason to have a home apothecary :-)
Thank you!
Such a late comment, but I absolutely LOVE that glass, where did you get it? Any info on it at all?
And I am so excited to try this recipe!
I second the request about the glass!
It was a thrift store find!
We made this syrup (for cocktailing) but it just tasted of honey – no hint of the rosehips. Any ideas?
I heared that vitamin C is destroyed with heat. Are you sure that syrup will still contain it?
I heat the mix just until boiling, stirring constantly. Then cover and steep. The vitamins remain, unless you boil it for a while.
This looks great! Do the rosehips have to be dried?
Hi Laura, no the rose hips do not need to be dried.
Just made the syrup, it’s lovely. When the time for a cocktail comes, it’ll be ready :-)
I love Rose hip jelly. When we lived in sw Colorado i would go down by the river and pick hips. They were huge.There is more vitamin C in a rose hip than in Oranges. Make some jelly its delish !
That recipe for the “smash” sounds wonderful, but I’ll use Limon Rum instead of whiskey. I bet it will be fabulous.
I bet it would also be amazing with CRANBERRIES instead of rosehips. Anyone made “Cranberry Syrup”? I’ve been making delicious Cranberry Cocktails using Ocean Spray 100% Cranberry Juice cocktail that’s sweetened with apple juice instead of HFCS.
1/2 glass Cranberry Juice
1 shot of Limon rum
Top off the glass with Cranberry flavored seltzer.
Stir well. I keep my drinks ice cold using the plastic “freezer balls” so my drink doesn’t get watered down. You can also make a batch of drinks and freeze them in an ice cube tray to pop into your drinks. Come to think of it…. that’s a fabulous ides. I should do that! LOL
But I digress…
No need for much of a garnish, as the beautiful red drink is stunning.
Ahhhhh nooooo!!! Am I too late?? I just read this post and this is all I am busy with at the moment, I would love to have some more unusual raw and pure suggestions and have a warm spicy winter ahead with all this goodness from Mother Earth!! I hope I am still in time……..
pretty pretty please, can i win that recipe book? i’ll gladly share with all my friends…
The giveaway has a random winner, good luck!!!
Nice !!! Can’t wait to see the whole book !!!
Do you have any tips on harvesting rosehips? Thanks!
Yes, I have a whole post on it here: Foraging for Rose Hips
I’ve made elderberry liqueur for the past two years, and this year I’m also making hawthorne liqueur. The book sounds great!
looks amazing!
Those are some gorgeous rose hips you gathered! And I love that you made the cocktail using the tools you had on hand … improvising is often part of the fun, I think. Thanks for sharing the book, Colleen!
How delicious and timely! We love playing with rose hips. Thanks for the great suggestion. And I love that you had to top it off with a lime. That happens to me all the time!
Love the glass ;>D
The Rosehip syrup and Whiskey Smash are going to be great. I can’t wait to pick my rosehips.
I make VITAMIN C w/rosehips, but please tell me where to find them in Colorado! I use Natural Grocers dried, but want to forage them. I’m 72/disabled and can walk on a sidewalk (not in show), but not in ditches or on mountains. Any ideas from Colorado readers? I just don’t know if I can do it, but would like to try.
Thanks for your help.