Homemade Grenadine

The red stuff you buy at the store is really just colored sugar syrup. While that is cool for a Shirley Temple, it's not as great for a real adult drink. I found a recipe (unfortunately it doesn't look like the website exists anymore!) that didn't involve heating the syrup and instead used a food processor to whir the sugar into the pomegranate juice. It also advised adding 1 ounce of vodka to the syrup and freezing it. It won't totally freeze because of the vodka, but this method of storage will preserve it way beyond just leaving it in the fridge. The alcohol helps with preservation too.

Most drinks that use grenadine take just the smallest amount, so having this always on hand and not going to waste sounded like a really good idea to me. The ratios I used were 2 parts juice to 1 part sugar. The amount of vodka was 1 ounce. I made a very small amount, less than 1 cup because I knew I would seldom use it!

I bought my pomegranate juice, but it's the right season to buy the fruit itself and juice it if you want to! I used plain ol' white sugar. It's the best for adding sweetness without adding any other flavors you might not want.

Sugar,juice and vodka in my mini food processor. I ran this in long bursts until the sugar seemed incorporated. The heat the blades make from running also helped the sugar gently blend with the liquid without stove heat.

The finished product! Doesn't it just look so drinkable? Like a strawberry smoothie? Now what to use it in... This is a good list! Enjoy!