This sweet, tart, deeply vibrant grenadine recipe is made with pomegranate juice, sugar, and orange flower water. This quick and easy syrup will change your cocktail and mocktail game forever.
Preparing cocktails at home can be frustrating when you’re staring at a long list of ingredients with things you don’t have on hand and in the mood to go shopping. And who wants to spend money on a bottle that you might only use once?
But the truth is, many common cocktail syrups can be easily made from scratch, and it’s satisfying to know you can have them — homemade — anytime.
Grenadine, in its simplest form, is a syrup made with pomegranates, sugar, and maybe an extra flavor or two for complexity. That’s all. And it’s quick and easy to do in the kitchen, even if you want to juice your own pomegranates. Try it – I think you’ll like it!
What is grenadine?
Grenadine is a syrup made from pomegranate juice. It is a non-alcoholic syrup mainly used in cocktails and soft drinks. You can add an ounce of vodka to this recipe, which will give your cocktail syrup a longer shelf life.
This homemade grenadine is a simple blend of fresh pomegranate juice, sugar, pomegranate molasses, and orange blossom water. The orange blossom water does not impart an orange flavor to the syrup, as the name might suggest, but rather a floral note that enhances the pomegranate notes.
How do you use grenadine?
Grenadine is a feature in two famous drinks that you probably know.
The Shirley Temple, the ubiquitous kid’s drink I was served growing up at every event from weddings to family reunions, and the Tequila Sunrise, which gets its eponymous color from the grenadine as it settles in a glass of tequila and orange juice.
However, if you want to expand your usage, try it in a Hurricane, Pink Lady, Jack Rose, or Ward 8 cocktail.
History of the Grenadine
Grenadine has been making the rounds in cocktail halls since the late 1800s, but when you think of this pomegranate syrup, it’s usually associated with the bottle of Rose’s Grenadine, owned by Canada Dry Mott’s Inc.
A notable difference from the modern commercial version is that it does not contain actual fruit juice, only flavorings and additives. While you get a splash of red, you lose quite a bit of the sweet and tart flavor that grenadine with real pomegranate juice will give you.
To juice or not to juice a pomegranate
Pomegranates at my local grocery store have been hit or miss over the past year — on several occasions, after sourcing one, taking it home, and juicing it, I’ve had poor results.
If the pomegranate is good, you’ll get a savory grenadine, but if it’s not, ask yourself if it was worth the trouble. I totally understand if you’d rather not risk the heartbreak of a bad pomegranate. The costs! The work! The red-colored fingers!
You can just grab a quality pomegranate juice. I suggest Knudsen or POM Wonderful, both of which are 100 percent pomegranate juice with no additives.
The biggest difference you’ll notice when comparing a grenadine made from freshly squeezed pomegranates and one made with bottled juice is the color. Bottled juice tends to be darker, while fresh is quite vibrant.
How to store, where to store, and how long to keep homemade grenadine
Grenadine should be kept refrigerated in an airtight container or swing top bottle. Cold-pressed and without the addition of vodka, it is best consumed within a month. Vodka can optionally be added to your grenadine to extend its shelf life to around 3 months, but I would still keep this refrigerated.
Variations, Swaps or Substitutions
Orange blossom water and pomegranate molasses are both listed as main ingredients in this recipe, but are ultimately optional if they prove difficult to find.
The resulting grenadine won’t have quite the same pop and can have a flatter, one-note quality, but will still be able to impart that sweet and tart pomegranate flavor to your drinks.
Cocktail Recipes to Try:
- Negroni cocktail
- Hurricane Cocktail
- French 75 cocktail
- Old fashioned cocktail
- Cosmopolitan
Easy Homemade Grenadine
This recipe calls for 2 cups of pomegranate juice. You can buy the juice at the store or juice the pomegranates yourself. If you want to juice the fruit yourself, you will need 2 to 3 pomegranates.
ingredients
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2 cups pomegranate juice from 2-3 large pomegranates
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1 Cup granulated sugar
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1/2 teaspoon Orange Blossom Water
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1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
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1 ounce vodkaOptional
method
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Boil pomegranate juice and sugar:
Combine pomegranate juice and sugar in a small saucepan and stir until dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low so that it is simmering vigorously. The liquid should have lots of small bubbles around the edges, but no large bubbles.
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Simmer to reduce the pomegranate liquid:
Continue to simmer until the mixture is reduced by about a third, leaving 1 2/3 cups of liquid. This can take anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes, and the liquid should be viscous and thickened to the consistency of honey.
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Allow grenadine to cool to room temperature:
After the mixture has reduced, remove from the heat and allow to come to room temperature. Stir in the orange blossom water and pomegranate molasses. If using, stir in the vodka as well.
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Store the grenadine:
Pour the grenadine into an airtight container or swing top bottle. Store in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 months.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 39 | calories |
| 0g | Fat |
| 10g | carbohydrates |
| 0g | protein |
