The Perfect Grenadine Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is real grenadine made of? ›

Originally, grenadine was made with a base of pomegranate juice, which is how it got its name — the French word for pomegranate is grenade. Pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice are the three main ingredients of homemade grenadine syrup, creating the perfect balance of tart and sweet.

Rose's, by far the most common brand in the United States, is made using mostly high-fructose corn syrup, water, citric acid, and natural and artificial flavors. It's colored using Red 40 (made with petroleum distillates or coal tars) and Blue 1.

Grenadine should be kept refrigerated in an airtight container or swing top bottle. It's best used within one month, if cold pressed and without the addition of vodka. Vodka can optionally be added to your grenadine to extend its shelf life to around 3 months, but I'd still keep that refrigerated.

Contrary to popular belief, grenadine is not a cherry-flavored syrup. Maraschino cherries have nothing to do with it. This sweet-tart syrup is actually made from pomegranates, and it is surprisingly easy to make at home.

It was a few years into my 20s — and many years into working in restaurants) — when I finally learned the truth, that grenadine is in fact made not from cherries but from pomegranates, which give the delicious syrup its red hue and balanced sweet and sour flavor.

First, a truth: Grenadine is a brilliant red syrup used in co*cktails to provide color and sweetness. A misconception: It's “just” for color and sweetness. While grenadine does give both qualities to co*cktails it's used in, real grenadine — grenadine made according to the classic recipes — has much more to offer.

A Shirley Temple is a non-alcoholic mixed drink traditionally made with ginger ale and a splash of grenadine, and garnished with a maraschino cherry. Modern Shirley Temple recipes may substitute lemon-lime soda or lemonade and sometimes orange juice, in part or in whole.

It's really the acidity added from natural pomegranates that store-bought grenadines sometimes lack. “Pomegranates are naturally tart, which balances the sweetness,” says Anderson.

Grenadine or grenadine syrup is probably the most well-known fruit syrup. Made from the juice of pomegranates, it is a thick ruby red colour with a strong, very sweet flavour.

As it turns out, maraschino cherries also make a fine grenadine substitute in various other co*cktails. You can add it to a Shirley Temple for a near-similar sweet splash, a rum punch if you want a more elaborate tropical taste, or perhaps even a Monkey Gland.

Can you freeze grenadine? ›

Do Ahead: Homemade grenadine made with store-bought pomegranate juice will keep 1 month chilled; made with fresh juice, it will last 2 weeks chilled. Both versions can be frozen for several months.

Grenadine syrup typically does not need to be refrigerated, however, storing grenadine in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight or heat sources is advisable to maintain its quality! Hmmm…so THAT'S why they keep bars so cool and dark!

Grenadine is a pomegranate syrup—or that's what it's supposed to be. If you've ever seen a pomegranate, you know that it's not an easy fruit to juice. So somewhere along the way, grenadine makers strayed away from using real pomegranate juice and instead used corn syrup and red dye #40.

The color of natural grenadine will seem a bit muted compared to the impossibly-red artificial coloring added to commercial grenadine. If you miss it, you can add a few drops of red food coloring once your pomegranate juice has cooled without affecting the flavor.

Roses grenadine contains high fructose corn syrup, artificial cherry and red 40. There's not even any pomegranate in this. There's a reason why we named this real Grenadine. Our grenadine is made with pomegranate juice, pure cane sugar.

There are several brands of grenadine syrup available in the market, each with their own unique taste and flavor profile.