The effect of pretreatments and soaking conditions on the color quality of rose liqueur was investigated. Results show that (1) most of the anthocyanin in rose petals was dissolved within 48 h of soaking; (2) a longer soaking time led to a lower color quality due to browning ; (3) a base spirit at lower ethanol content extracted more anthocyanin and also resulted in more browning; (4) 50C air‐drying to 20% water content retained 90% of anthocyanins in rose petals; and (5) the soaking of dried petals in the base spirit yielded a product with less browning as compared with that of fresh petals. The process for making rose liqueur with the best color quality was found to be by soaking dried rose petals at a 1:10 ratio (rose petal : ethanol, w/w) in a base spirit containing 30–35% ethanol added with 0.6–0.8% citric acid for 24 h, then diluting the extract to 16% ethanol content. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This study provides an adequate process for the making of rose liqueur. Pre‐dehydration treatment can be applied on the raw material in the making of various anthocyanin‐containing beverages to improve the color quality. Findings in regard to the effect of ethanol concentration on anthocyanin extraction and the color stability of the product can also be valuable references to wine industry.