Ed recently asked me to pick up some grenadine for his Sunday night cocktail. It’s been ages since we’ve had any in the house and when I found it at the store I made the mistake of reading the ingredients – not a natural one to be found and of course the first one was high fructose corn syrup. I immediately went online to find out how to make natural grenadine and found it to be perfectly simple. So the Rose’s Grenadine went back on to the shelf and I went in search of 100% pomegranate juice instead.
It turns out that grenadine has mostly been made from artificial ingredients despite “grenadine” being French for pomegranate. The earliest references to grenadine date to the later 1800s and even involve a few court cases. Intrigued? Camper English provides a great overview of the history of grenadine if you’d like to learn more.
A skillet is recommended for cooking as it helps the water evaporate more quickly so the end result is a slightly thick syrup. Try this grenadine in an Azalea Cocktail to celebrate the Masters or make a Shirley Temple for that special little one in your life. Once you try the natural variety I assure you that you’ll never go back.
| Homemade Grenadine | Print |
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 cup 100% unsweetened pomegranate juice, such as POM
- ½ lemon (optional)
- In a medium frying pan or skillet, combine sugar and juice.
- Place over medium heat.
- Stir until sugar dissolves.
- Bring the mixture to a rapid boil and cook for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Taste and add a few drops of lemon juice to bring out the tartness, if necessary.
- Place a funnel in a clean bottle and pour in the syrup.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to one month.
* If you boil the mixture too long, it will start to crystalize.
Source: Adapted from The Kitchn
Grenadine can be mage with real Pom juice and vodka……no refined sugar….
Barb – Thank you for the tip!