Rose Water Recipes

What does rose water have in common with cilantro, durian, escargot and black licorice?

For most folks, either you love it or you hate it. Some people adore its floral, fragrant flavor in traditional dishes like baklava, while others feel like they’ve just taken a swig of perfume. Rose water is a liquid distilled from rose petals with steam, and dates back to ancient Persia and Greece. In the Middle Ages it came to Europe via treats like Turkish Delight and marzipan, and then later came to the American Colonies where it was the most popular flavor before vanilla hit the market in the late 1800s.

The key to rose water is using a goodquality product— nothing synthetic or diluted. You can often find it at Middle Eastern or Indian grocery stores; BriarPatch also carries it in the Wellness section. And, use it sparingly. If you’re putting rose water into something you aren’t heating, like whipped cream, add it ¼ tsp at a time and taste as you go. A little goes a long way, and it can quickly become overpowering and you’re left with something that’s more like potpourri. When you apply heat to it, rose water gets less potent because its delicate flavor molecules evaporate, so you may need a little more to get the desired “rosiness.” Also, the flowery essence mellows out when baked or roasted, and you’ll get notes more similar to vanilla with a fruity and more subtle aroma.

Homemade Rose Water

Razzle-Dazzle Rose-Berry Cocktails

Makes about 1 cup If you have some heirloom roses in your yard, they’d be perfect for this! Use fragrant roses, free of pesticides, preferably organic. Be careful of hot steam when opening up the lid at the end of the process.

Blossoms from 8-10 roses

Water

Ice cubes Remove rose blossoms from stems and rinse to clean. Put a small bowl (that holds at least 2 cups) at the center of an empty saucepan. Add rose petals around the bowl, making sure no rose petals are in the bowl. Add enough water to cover petals, bring heat up to a simmer. Put cover on saucepan, upside-down. The cover will help catch rose water. Add ice cubes to top of upsidedown saucepan cover. As ice melts, keep adding more. This helps with condensation of evaporated rose water. Keep repeating this step for about ½ hour. The rose water should have condensed into the bowl in the middle of the saucepan. Carefully remove the hot bowl from the pot; pour the rose water into a clean container and store in a cool, dry place. Rose water can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 months.

Makes 4 servings Raspberries, rose water, sugar and gin are all you need to make this flowery, fruity and fabulous refresher. Leave out the gin and make it a mocktail!

Rose-Berry Syrup

6 oz fresh raspberries, plus extras for garnish ½ cup sugar 6 oz rose water

Cocktails

6 oz Rose-Berry syrup 6 oz gin 6 oz rose water Prepare syrup: Over medium heat, combine raspberries, sugar, rose water in medium saucepan. Simmer 8-10 minutes, mashing raspberries with a spatula until sugar has dissolved and raspberries are very soft. Strain through fine-mesh strainer into a mason jar, do not press solids to get out more liquid. Cool to room temp. For each drink, fill cocktail shaker with ice and add 1 ½ oz each of cooled syrup, gin and rose water. Shake vigorously and strain into serving glass with fresh ice. Repeat ‘til you’ve got all four. Garnish with additional raspberries.