Homemade Grenadine

Grenadine is a staple of just about every bar, tiki bars included. It is usually used to sweeten drinks and give them a bright red color – and it is used that way because most “grenadine” is corn syrup and red food coloring. Real grenadine is made with pomegranate juice and, while it is sweet, it has a fruity flavor that is both delicious and distinctive. While we don’t mind faux-grenadine in a Shirley Temple once in a while, we would much rather make our own syrup and add another level of flavor to our drinks, especially our tiki drinks!

This grenadine is made using pure pomegranate juice, sugar and sweet-tart pomegranate molasses. The pomegranate molasses is found cheaply at middle eastern markets. Many recipes call for orange flower water, which can also be found at middle eastern markets, but we find that it can overpower the pomegranate if you’re not careful. Instead, we use a small (or large, if you prefer) splash of orange bitters to add a little extra complexity.

Homemade Grenadine
1 cup Pomegranate Juice
3/4 cup Sugar
2 tbsp Pomegranate Molasses
2-3 Dashes Orange Bitters

First pour the pomegranate juice then the sugar into a sauce pan. Add the pomegranate molasses and heat over a medium flame until all of the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add 1-2 teaspoons of orange bitters to taste. Sometimes I’ll add as additional teaspoon of vanilla extract depending on the type of drinks I’ll be making.

Makes 1 1/4 Cups