What I love about homemade grenadine
There are so many reasons to love grenadine. The beautiful color, the flavor it brings to cocktails and the sweetness, but there are plenty on the market that aren’t even really grenadine.
They’re basically high fructose corn syrup dressed up in a colorful coat of red 40. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still use store bought in a pinch, but when I have leftover pomegranate juice from making other cocktails, like my blackberry margarita smash, you can bet I’ll make a batch of this homemade grenadine.
What is grenadine? (Just in case you’re wondering)
Traditional grenadine is a simple syrup made from pomegranate juice and it gets its name from the French word for pomegranate, grenade.
Surprising, I know, since I thought for the majority of my life that it was the red juice from a jar of maraschino cherries. Thankfully, the internet has taught me better.
Here’s what you’ll need to make a grenadine substitute
Equipment:
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- Pomegranate juice
- Sugar
- Lemon juice (optional)
How to make homemade grenadine syrup
Make the syrup. Combine equal parts pomegranate juice and sugar in a saucepan. I usually do 1 cup of each, but if you have 1 1/4 cups of pomegranate juice and want to use it all, use 1 1/4 cup sugar.
Heat the pan to medium and let it cook until the sugar dissolves completely. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Depending on your stove, it should only take about 5 minutes or so. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.
Bottle it up. Transfer the grenadine to a syrup container or a mason jar. Cover and put it in the fridge for up to one month.
You can also freeze your grenadine if you don’t plan on using it all within that window.
FAQs and tips for making this grenadine recipe
What is the main ingredient of grenadine?
The main ingredient in traditional grenadine is pomegranate juice. However, commercial grenadine tends to be made with corn syrup and artificial flavorings.
Is there a substitute for grenadine?
You can use raspberry syrup, simple syrup or even pomegranate molasses (although it’s a bit more viscous) as a substitute for grenadine.
How long does homemade grenadine last?
When stored in the fridge, homemade simple syrup (which is basically what this is) will stay fresh for up to a month. Make sure to store in an airtight container, mason jars work great. To keep syrup as fresh as possible, remove any mix ins from the container after 24 hours.
Cocktails you can make with your homemade grenadine:
Other (non-cocktail) recipes that use grenadine:
- Dr Pepper cherry cupcakes with grenadine whipped cream
- Shirley Temple bundt cake
- Hurricane rum cake
- Baked chocolate cherry doughnut hearts
Ingredients
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice (if using) in a saucepan.
- Heat the pan to medium and cook until the sugar dissolves, stirring as needed to prevent burning.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.
- Transfer the grenadine to a syrup container or a mason jar. Cover and put it in the fridge for up to one month.
Last Updated on January 18, 2023 by Melissa Belanger
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