Grenadine

Origin

The pomegranate is native from Iran to the Himalayas, cultivated since antiquity across the Mediterranean and carried by the Spanish to California in 1769; its arils give a juice that has long been sweetened into grenadine for mixed drinks. The French name comes from grenade, pomegranate. Commercial grenadine drifted to artificial color and corn syrup through the 20th century; craft bars returned to the original two ingredient syrup, warmed just enough to dissolve the sugar.

Production and safety

House recipe: combine 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened pomegranate juice and 1 cup (200 g) sugar in a saucepan; warm gently, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves (do not boil, which dulls the fruit). Optional: 1 tsp pomegranate molasses for depth and 3 drops orange flower water. Bottle while warm into a clean, labeled container, cool, and refrigerate. Keeps about 2 weeks refrigerated; 0.5 oz / 15 ml vodka per cup extends it to a month. Bottled pomegranate juice and commercial grenadine commonly contain sulfites, so this record lists sulfites; a house syrup from fresh pressed juice does not. Discard if fizzy or sour.

Allergens: Sulfites

Common uses

• singapore-sling
• Jack Rose
• Tequila Sunrise
• Ward Eight
• Shirley Temple (non alcoholic)
• the house concept that calls for it