Here's a fact that surprises almost everyone: grenadine is supposed to be pomegranate syrup. The word comes from "grenade," the French word for pomegranate.
That neon red stuff behind your bar — Rose's, the one that tastes like cherry candy — has zero pomegranate in it. It's corn syrup, citric acid, and Red 40.
Making real grenadine from actual pomegranate juice takes about 15 minutes and changes every cocktail and mocktail it touches. We'll start there and build out.
First: Make Real Grenadine
Homemade Pomegranate Grenadine
- 250ml 100% pomegranate juice (POM Wonderful works well)
- 250ml granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pomegranate molasses (optional, adds depth — find it at Middle Eastern grocers or make your own)
- ½ tsp orange blossom water (optional)
Method: Heat juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Don't boil — you want to preserve the colour and flavour.
Remove from heat. Stir in pomegranate molasses and orange blossom water if using. Cool completely, bottle, and refrigerate.
Makes: ~400ml. Keeps 3–4 weeks refrigerated.
Cost: About $4 CAD for 400ml, using POM Wonderful. A bottle of commercial "grenadine" costs $5–7 and tastes like cough syrup.
Once you have real grenadine, you're set for most of these recipes. You can also just use straight pomegranate juice in any of them — the grenadine adds sweetness and body, but juice on its own works if you prefer less sugar.
Cocktails
Pomegranate Spritz
- 60ml prosecco
- 30ml pomegranate juice
- 15ml Aperol (or skip for a lighter version)
- Splash of sparkling water
- Pomegranate arils for garnish (when in season, October–January)
Build in a wine glass over ice. The pomegranate juice gives the Aperol Spritz formula a deeper, more complex fruit dimension. Without the Aperol, it's essentially a pomegranate bellini — still excellent.
Pomegranate Margarita
- 45ml tequila blanco
- 30ml pomegranate juice
- 20ml fresh lime juice
- 15ml homemade grenadine (or agave syrup)
Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a salted rim. The pomegranate's tannins play beautifully against the lime's acidity. Use 100% pomegranate juice here — a blend would be too sweet and one-dimensional.
Pomegranate Moscow Mule
- 45ml vodka
- 30ml pomegranate juice
- 15ml fresh lime juice
- Top with ginger beer (Fever-Tree or Canada Dry Bold)
Build in a copper mug (or any glass, the mug is marketing). The ginger beer's spice and the pomegranate's tartness are a natural match. This is the recipe that converts people who think pomegranate juice is "too healthy" to enjoy.
Jack Rose (Classic)
- 60ml applejack or Calvados
- 20ml fresh lime juice
- 15ml homemade grenadine
A pre-Prohibition classic that nobody orders because every bar uses fake grenadine. With real pomegranate grenadine, this is one of the best cocktails you'll make at home.
Applejack is hard to find in Canada — Laird's is occasionally stocked at the LCBO or SAQ. Calvados works as a substitute.
Holiday Pomegranate Punch (Batch)
- 750ml bottle of red wine (something cheap and fruity — a Malbec or Shiraz)
- 375ml pomegranate juice
- 125ml brandy
- 60ml homemade grenadine
- 250ml sparkling water (added just before serving)
- Orange slices, cinnamon sticks, fresh pomegranate arils
Combine everything except sparkling water. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Add sparkling water and ice when serving. Makes about 8 servings. This is the Christmas/New Year's party drink that people will actually ask you about.
Mocktails
Pomegranate Fizz
- 60ml pomegranate juice
- 15ml fresh lime juice
- 10ml simple syrup (or skip — the PJ is sweet enough for most people)
- Top with sparkling water
- Fresh mint
The simplest mocktail and genuinely one of the best. This is what you make when you want something more interesting than water but don't want alcohol or a huge sugar hit. The 60ml of pomegranate juice is only about 8g of sugar.
Pomegranate Ginger Tonic
- 45ml pomegranate juice
- 15ml fresh ginger juice (grate ginger and squeeze through a fine strainer)
- Tonic water to top
- Lime wheel
The quinine bitterness of tonic water pairs surprisingly well with pomegranate's tannins. The fresh ginger adds heat. This tastes like a proper drink, not a consolation prize for not ordering a G&T.
Pomegranate Shrub
- 60ml pomegranate drinking vinegar/shrub (recipe below)
- Sparkling water to top
To make the shrub: Combine 250ml pomegranate juice, 250ml sugar, and 125ml apple cider vinegar. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Refrigerate overnight. The vinegar adds a complex sourness that's addictive once you try it. Keeps refrigerated for months.
Shrubs are a colonial-era preservation technique that's had a revival in the craft cocktail scene. This is genuinely one of the most interesting non-alcoholic drinks you can make.
Persian-Style Pomegranate Lemonade
- 120ml pomegranate juice
- 30ml fresh lemon juice
- 15ml honey or simple syrup
- Splash of rosewater
- Crushed ice
This is inspired by the pomegranate drinks served at Persian restaurants in the GTA and Vancouver. The rosewater is the key — it lifts the pomegranate from "fruit drink" to something genuinely special. Find rosewater at any Middle Eastern grocery store for $3–5.
Hot Pomegranate Cider (Winter)
- 250ml apple cider
- 60ml pomegranate juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves
- Thin slice of fresh ginger
Warm everything gently in a saucepan (don't boil). Strain into a mug.
This is the drink for November through February when it's −15°C and you need something warm that isn't coffee. The pomegranate adds a tart depth that plain cider lacks.
A note on juice quality: For cocktails and mocktails, use 100% pomegranate juice, not a blend. The blends are too sweet and lack the tannic complexity that makes pomegranate work in drinks.
POM Wonderful is the easiest to find. Turkish imports from Middle Eastern grocers are often excellent and cheaper. The Kirkland Costco blend is fine for punches where other flavours dominate, but too flat for drinks where pomegranate is the star.
Enjoy responsibly. Drink recipes are for adults of legal drinking age. If you take medications, be aware that pomegranate juice can interact with certain drugs — the alcohol in cocktails may compound these interactions.