The Clara Bow Cocktail

A modern classic bourbon cocktail created by Lynnette Marrero and Jim Kearns in 2009 at Rye House, NYC. Sits between a whiskey sour, a daisy, and a smash: high-rye bourbon with St-Germain elderflower liqueur, fresh lemon, real pomegranate grenadine, and fresh mint. Double-strained into a chilled coupe. Good grenadine makes all the difference.

smart_display Published 2026-03-27 download Extracted 2026-04-17

5m Prep

5m Total

1 Servings

cocktail bourbon elderflower lemon mint grenadine sour daisy smash shaken modern-classic coupe st-germain

Ingredients

6 leaves Fresh mint leaves (5-6 leaves; slap against your palm to release aromatics before adding to shaker)
45 ml Old Grand-Dad 114 Bourbon (or high-proof, high-rye bourbon) (1.5 oz; a high-rye, higher-proof bourbon holds up against the sweeter components)
22.5 ml Fresh lemon juice (¾ oz; freshly squeezed)
15 ml Pomegranate Grenadine (real, not artificially colored) (½ oz; use real pomegranate grenadine — skip Rose's and artificial red syrups)
15 ml St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur (½ oz; the ingredient that makes this a modern classic (launched 2007))
1 sprig Mint sprig (garnish) (placed on the rim of the coupe — perch carefully as it can fall in) optional

Homemade Pomegranate Grenadine

450 g Granulated sugar (for DIY grenadine) (for homemade grenadine only) optional
300 g 100% pomegranate juice (for DIY grenadine) (for homemade grenadine only) optional
20 g Pomegranate molasses (for DIY grenadine) (for homemade grenadine only) optional
5 ml Rose water (for DIY grenadine) (~2g; added off heat to finished grenadine) optional

Steps

1

Slap 5-6 fresh mint leaves between your palms to release aromatics. Add them to the bottom of a shaker tin.

Tip: Slapping (not muddling) is enough — the ice during shaking will extract mint flavor without turning it bitter.

~1 min
2

Add bourbon (1.5 oz), fresh lemon juice (¾ oz), grenadine (½ oz), and St-Germain (½ oz) to the shaker. Add ice.

Tip: If using a double jigger: measure bourbon and lemon with the larger side, then flip to measure grenadine and St-Germain on the smaller side — avoids sticky drips.

~1 min
3

Shake hard until well chilled.

~1 min
4

Double strain (Hawthorne strainer + fine mesh) into a chilled coupe glass. This removes all mint bits from the shake.

Tip: Double straining is mandatory here — even small mint fragments will create an unpleasant texture in the finished drink.

~1 min
5

Perch a mint sprig garnish on the rim of the coupe. Serve immediately.

Tip: The mint sprig can fall in since there's no ice or foam to anchor it — remove after the first sip if preferred.

~1 min

Homemade Pomegranate Grenadine

1

(Optional) Make homemade grenadine: combine sugar (450g), pomegranate juice (300g), and pomegranate molasses (20g) in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat, add rose water (5ml), stir to combine. Cool before using.

Tip: Real pomegranate grenadine gives depth and natural color — the artificial bright-red versions are why most Clara Bows look garish in photos.

~10 min

Nutrition (per serving)

185

Calories

16g

Carbs

Cultural Context

The Clara Bow is a modern classic cocktail created in 2009 by bartenders Lynnette Marrero and Jim Kearns for the opening of Rye House in New York City (now closed). It is named after Clara Bow (1905-1965), the iconic 1920s actress of silent films and early talkies who was Hollywood's original 'It Girl' — starring in the 1927 film simply titled 'It.' Bow was the most popular actress of her era and received more fan mail than any other star, yet faded from popular memory while contemporaries like Greta Garbo retained iconic status. The cocktail tributes her belatedly. Technically the drink bridges the whiskey sour, daisy, and smash templates, but its modern identity comes from the inclusion of St-Germain elderflower liqueur — which launched in 2007 — making it impossible to have existed before the craft cocktail renaissance. The creator strongly advocates for real pomegranate grenadine over artificially colored syrups, noting that quality grenadine is what separates a great Clara Bow from a garish pink approximation.