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Why It's Good:
This syrup smells and tastes like no other food you've had before. It's what angels or mythological gods would dine on if they were trapped in our world.
Why It's Green:
Certified organic by QC&I, an independent European inspection body, the syrup itself consists of a simple list of organic ingredients: rose petals, water, sugar and lemon juice.
Where To Get It:
$29.99 for an 8.5-ounce bottle; available in gourmet stores nationwide or on-line at www.purelyorganic.com.
A Sweet Secret for the Holidays
When I was young, there was an intriguing jar that sat in the back of my family's refrigerator. Manufactured by a Chinese company, it was a brown, gritty paste of crushed, sweetened red rose petals. I don't recall anyone in my family ever using it. Every once in a while, I would sneak a teeny spoonful straight from the jar. (Doing it in secret heightened the mystique.) This paste tasted like the kind of thing I envisioned Glinda the Good Witch or princesses from Andrew Lang's Fairy books supping on. For years I hadn't tasted anything like it until I encountered Magliano Organic Rose Syrup. This elixir is made in one small, precious batch every summer from a generations-old family recipe by Isabel Devetta, a woman with the great good fortune to live in Tuscany and to be born into a family with a recipe for rose syrup. She combines red rose petals with spring water and organic sugar and lemon juice, boiling them all down to a rich, just-sweet-enough, dark pink syrup. What a stylish, festive beverage it could help make: Mix it with white wine or Champagne as a variation on a Kir Royale, or with vodka and ice in a fabulous cocktail. I would also drizzle it into hot jasmine tea or over ice cream, gelato, panna cotta, or cheesecake. Or it might be the unique flavoring ingredient of a heavenly frozen dessert, like a sorbet, granita, or custard—or a great gift. As for me, I plan to keep a bottle of it in my fridge, there for whenever I need a reminder that magic still exists.—Daryl Chen