Rhubarb Cocktail: Rhubarbarella – Three Ways

Fruity, floral and prettily pink, the Rhubarbarella is a refreshing rhubarb cocktail with a hint of vintage charm. Full of bright flavour with delicate botanical notes, it’s made with rhubarb schnapps, lemon balm tea, rose syrup, lemon juice and a dash of bitters. Serve it short and stylish or pour it long over ice with a splash of fizzy water or sparkling wine for a more laid-back or celebratory twist.

A very long time ago, I created a post with two recipes for summer cocktails. One was a mint chocolate and cream one, named Chocadoodledoo and the other was a rhubarb one named Rhubarbarella. The other day, I spotted a rhubarb cocktail in the Guardian going by the name of rhubarbarella. I was so incensed they’d taken my name, I thought I’d better update my recipe and create a new stand alone post for it.

Dive Right In

• Why You’ll Want To Make This Rhubarb Cocktail
• The Rhubarbarella: Three Ways
• Ingredients, Additions And Substitutions
• How To Make A Rhubarb Cocktail Three Ways
• Homemade Rhubarb Schnapps
• Other Spring and Summer Drink Recipes You Might Like
• Keep In Touch
• Pin It
• The Recipe

Why You’ll Want To Make This Rhubarb Cocktail

• Adaptable – You can tweak the ratios, swap the fizz or adjust the sweet and sour elements to make it just right for you.
• Great for entertaining – Pretty in the glass and easy to batch-make, it’s a lovely cocktail to serve at garden parties, brunches or summer evenings with friends.
• Homemade and thoughtful – Made with rhubarb schnapps and other simple homemade elements like lemon balm tea and rose syrup, it’s a drink that shows care and creativity.
• Light and refreshing – Unlike strong, spirit-forward cocktails, this one is gently boozy with a bright, floral-fruity flavour that’s easy to sip.
• Seasonal and summery – A beautiful way to use up rhubarb when it’s in season. It’s perfect for spring and early summer gatherings.
• Three ways to enjoy it – Whether you prefer a short, elegant serve or a long drink with fizz, there’s a version to suit your mood or occasion.

The Rhubarbarella: Three Ways

Rhubarbarella isn’t the kind of cocktail that hits you between the eyes with boozy bravado. It’s much more refined. Gently alcoholic, with fruity, floral and sour notes and just a hint of bitterness to balance the sweetness. Perfect for lazy spring and summer afternoons in the garden or for relaxed entertaining.

When I first came up with my Rhubarbarella cocktail, I wrote the following. I’m not sure I can better the description now, although I’ve swapped angostura bitters for the chocolate extract in my latest version.

“Rhubarbarella was the star of the show. Rose and rhubarb had already proved themselves as a flavour pairing in the last batch of nonnettes I made so I had high hopes. It was delicious, fruity, refreshing and with a definite kick – of chocolate as well as alcohol.

The rose flavour added a layer of sophistication, or so it seemed after a few sips ……. The colour was alluring and I impressed myself with the sugared glass. I’d be happy to drink this all summer long, which by latest reckoning, ends tomorrow.”

These are the three variations on my rhubarbarella, which all make for delicious, though rather different, drinks.

The Original: Short, Floral and Refined

A shaken, not stirred, cocktail for gentle sipping. Served in a coupe or martini type glass. It works particularly well as a pre-dinner drink.

In the original version I used homemade chocolate extract, but as that’s long gone, I used angostura bitters which works just as well. They both have the bitter notes needed to balance out the drink’s sweetness, fruity tones and floral notes.

Rhubarb Refresher: Long, Light and Sparkling

A long drink served in a tumbler or highball glass with lots of ice and topped up with fizzy mineral water. Perfect for long afternoons in the garden.

Rhubarb Royale: Pink, Fizzy and Festive

A long drink for festive occasions. Served in a tumbler or highball glass with lots of ice, but topped up with champagne, prosecco or similar sparkling wine.

Ingredients, Additions And Substitutions

Three of the five ingredients needed for this rhubarb cocktail are homemade, but you can buy them all if needed. I’ve not included ice in the count, but I guess that’s an ingredient too. Just add sparkling water or wine for the longer versions.

Bitters

It’s perhaps not the most obvious of pairings, but chocolate extract works really well in this rhubarb cocktail. It provides the much needed bitter notes as well as an unexpected cocoa element.

You can buy chocolate extract, or make your own by infusing cacao nibs in vodka for a few months.

Alternatively, angostura bitters pairs well with the other flavours in this cocktail, so you can use that instead.

Herby Notes

Lemon balm (melissa) is a leafy garden herb that grows well here in UK gardens. I wouldn’t be without it. It has a lovely fresh, light citrus flavour with just a hint of mint. We use it to make tea.

Floral Notes

Rose gives delightful floral tones to this rhubarb cocktail. I make my own rose syrup. It’s ever so easy if you grow your own roses. But if not, you can easily buy it online. It makes a delicious drink in its own right. Just try to fine one that’s as natural as possible.

Fruity Notes

Rhubarb schnapps is very much the star in this rhubarbarella cocktail. I make my own from our allotment rhubarb. It’s made with fresh rhubarb, vodka and sugar. If you don’t fancy having to wait a few weeks though, I have a cheat’s version further down this post.

If you don’t fancy making your own, there are any number of rhubarb liqueurs you can buy these days. Just search online.

Sour Tones

Rhubarb by way of the schnapps provides much of the sour tones in this drink, but a squeeze of fresh lemon juice livens things up very nicely.

How To Make A Rhubarb Cocktail Three Ways

Whip up this spring and summer rhubarb cocktail in a trice. It takes all of five minutes, even if you make up a jug of it for gatherings. And there’s no special equipment required.

Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for cooking temperatures and quantities of ingredients used.

Step 1. Infuse Lemon Balm

You can buy lemon balm tea (melissa), in both leaf and teabag form. But if you grow your own it’s super easy to make. We drink it quite a lot.

Pluck a sprig or two of the fresh leaves, give a quick rinse under the tap, then place in a teapot. Pour a mug of just boiled water over the top and leave it to infuse for at least eight minutes. Strain then leave to cool completely before using.

Step 2. Shake

The only equipment you really need for this cocktail, is a measuring jug, a sieve and a suitably sized jar with tightly sealed lid. If you’re a pro and have a cocktail shaker, use it instead of the jar.

Measure each ingredient and pour into your jar or cocktail shaker. Leave the ice until last so that it doesn’t melt too much.

As soon as you’ve added the ice, shake the cocktail vigorously for ten to fifteen seconds. The idea is to chill the drink, without diluting it too much.

Step 3. Serve Your Rhubarb Cocktail

If you like the idea of a sugar coated glass rim, run a halved or quartered lemon around the rim of your serving glass, then dip it in a shallow bowl of caster sugar. If you have rose sugar, it will enhance the floral notes in the drink.

Pour the just shaken rhubarbarella through a tea strainer or fine meshed sieve into a coupe or martini cocktail glass – with or without a sugared rim.

Decorate with a sprig of lemon balm or a thin ribbon of rhubarb tied into a loose knot.

For a longer and more refreshing drink, fill a tumbler or highball with ice, pour the shaken ingredients over the ice, then top up with sparkling water.

For a longer and more alcoholic drink, fill a tumbler or highball with ice, pour the shaken ingredients over the ice, then top up with your favourite sparkling wine.

Homemade Rhubarb Schnapps

I’ve been making rhubarb schnapps for many a year now. It’s super easy to do and a great way to use homegrown rhubarb. It does, however take several months to mature.

Much like my recipe for cassis, you make rhubarb schnapps by infusing chunks of rhubarb in alcohol and sugar. Try 500g of rhubarb with 150g caster sugar and half a litre of vodka.

If you just want to get on and make this cocktail right now, go ahead. You can still do it with either a cheat’s version or a commercial brand of rhubarb liqueur.

To make a cheat’s version, simmer 100g of chopped rhubarb in 100ml of water along with 50g of golden caster or golden granulated sugar. As soon as the rhubarb starts to fall apart, strain the liquid through a fine sieve. Allow to cool and you have rhubarb cordial. Dilute to taste.

Mix 20ml of rhubarb cordial with 30ml of vodka and voilà, you have a quick and easy measure of rhubarb schnapps.

Other Spring and Summer Drink Recipes You Might Like

• Cucumber & celery smoothie
• Elderflower champagne
• Iced fruit tea
• Pineapple shrub
• Plump for a pimms or mash up a mojito (alcoholic)
• Strawberry rose mint fizz

Keep in Touch

Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make my rhubarb cocktail, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or tips for making cocktails?

Please rate the recipe too. And do tag me @choclette8 on Instagram with your images, I love to see your take on my recipes.

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If you’d like more rhubarb recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.

Choclette x

Rhubarb Cocktail. PIN IT.