What is grenadine? Grenadine syrup: price, recipe, where you can buy pomegranate syrup Pomegranate juice syrup recipe
Despite the fact that grenadine syrup can be bought in almost any supermarket at a very affordable price, it is worth considering that its naturalness is in question. Adherents of healthy alternative recipes will probably prefer to prepare the legendary pomegranate syrup with their own hands, and we will help them with this.
Homemade grenadine syrup
There is no need to memorize the list of ingredients, since the composition of grenadine syrup is simple and can be easily prepared by eye. Pour a little water over the pomegranate seeds until they are half covered. Boil the pomegranate seeds until they burst into a puree. Rub the puree mixture through a sieve to avoid getting the seeds into the syrup. Measure the amount of liquid received and add an equal amount of powdered sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, then cool the homemade grenadine and bottle it. If you plan to use grenadine for a long time, then the container must first be sterilized and the drink stored in the cold, well sealed.
Grenadine syrup - recipe
Another option for preparing the popular pomegranate syrup involves using ready-made pomegranate juice as a base. It’s easy to remember the proportions of the recipe: for each liter of juice, take two glasses of sugar, and you don’t need the rest of the ingredients.
Ingredients:
- pomegranate juice - 1 l;
- sugar – 2 tbsp;
Preparation
Let the pomegranate juice simmer over medium heat. After about 15 minutes, the volume of juice will decrease by half, which means you can add granulated sugar. After pouring in the sugar, wait until the crystals are completely dissolved, and then pour the hot syrup into clean bottles and leave until completely cooled. Afterwards, the syrup can be stored in the refrigerator.
Lemonade with pomegranate syrup and grenadine
The syrup is great for soaking sponge cakes and for making cold desserts, but its classic use is in cocktails. Syrup is added both to drinks containing alcohol and to those prepared without it. Let's start with a non-alcoholic option - a simple and delicious classic lemonade.
Ingredients:
- "Sprite" - 2 l;
- grenadine – 190 ml;
- cherries in syrup – 20 g;
- juice of one lime;
- ice for serving.
Preparation
Mix grenadine with Sprite and add lime juice to tone down the sweetness of the drink. At the bottom of the glass in which you plan to serve the drink, place a couple of cherries and a handful of ice. Pour the lemonade and decorate the glass with another cherry.
Cocktail recipe with grenadine syrup
One of the simplest cocktails with grenadine is prepared on the basis of champagne and is called “Mimosa”.
Ingredients:
- orange juice – 470 ml;
- pineapple juice – 230 ml;
- grenadine – 65 ml;
- a bottle of champagne.
Preparation
Mix both types of juice with grenadine. In a flute glass, combine equal parts of a mixture of juices and champagne.
Alcoholic cocktail with grenadine syrup
In this unusual cocktail, grenadine gives not only a pleasant color, but also a slight sweetness.
Delicious, complex, beautiful homemade pomegranate syrup.
Type syrup
Preparation 50 min
Cooking 10 min
Total 1 hour
Ingredients:
For the pomegranate syrup:
- 2 glasses pomegranate juice 100%
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 60 ml pomegranate molasses homemade or purchased
- 1 tsp. orange water
For pomegranate molasses (treacle):
- 2 glasses pomegranate juice 100%
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
How to cook:
To make pomegranate molasses (you can buy it, it's no problem, but homemade is always better) place the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. The volume of the sauce should be reduced by about a quarter. Remove the finished molasses from the heat and set aside to cool.
To prepare grenadine at home, combine pomegranate juice and sugar in a saucepan of suitable size, place the pan over medium heat and heat the contents over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. When the sugar has completely dissolved, add 60 ml of previously prepared molasses and 1 teaspoon of orange water. Mix well and remove from heat. Once the pomegranate syrup has cooled, pour it into bottles and store it in the refrigerator.
Field notes:
- Since we have not used any chemical preservatives, our homemade pomegranate syrup has an expiration date. If you plan to use your grenadine slowly over a month, add 30 ml of vodka or 50-70% grain alcohol as an additional preservative. If the syrup is being prepared for an event and is used up quickly, then this is not necessary. Many sources recommend placing pomegranate syrup in the freezer to increase its shelf life to six months (we believe that this will affect its lightness and freshness).
- Instead of orange water, which is quite difficult to get in the CIS, you can use more affordable rose water. You can add a citrus aroma to the syrup using zest: while preparing molasses, 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add the zest of 1 orange and the zest of 1 lemon.
- To make homemade grenadine a rich red color and tint your drinks well, add hibiscus to the recipe (you can read about choosing hibiscus in). For the proportions indicated in the recipe, it will be enough to take 4-6 tbsp. l. hibiscus, which should be added along with molasses and orange water. The finished syrup from the hibiscus petals should be filtered approximately 2 hours after removing it from the heat.
- Grenadine is often prepared with the addition of blackcurrant juice (red currant juice is less commonly used). Choose proportions based on your preferences. Instead of juice and, accordingly, vodka, you can use it, not forgetting that it has a strength approximately 2 times lower than vodka. You can also use other juices, for example, cranberry juice or something like that.
Grenadine is a tart-sweet, ruby syrup made from pomegranate juice. The thick, viscous consistency explains the high calorie content of the concentrate - 268 kilocalories per 100 grams.
Historical sketch
The French and Spanish clashed in the struggle for supremacy in the creation of syrup.
The French claim that the name of the sweet pomegranate concentrate comes from the French word for pomegranate - “grenade” and that it was created specifically for cocktails in 1891.
The Spanish version is no less plausible: in the 8th century, in the Andalusia region, the province of Granada was settled by Moroccan Moors. They brought pomegranate trees with them and prepared not only pomegranate sauces, but also syrups from the fruits.
It seems that similar syrups were prepared not only in these two countries, but everywhere where pomegranate grew. For example, in Persia it is known as pomegranate molasses.
At the end of the 19th century, the British actively used syrup to solve liver problems and increase appetite in children. They offered the person in need of help to swallow a spoonful of red sweet liquid before eating.
In America at the beginning of the 20th century, ruby concentrate took pride of place on bartenders' shelves.
Interesting fact. In addition to syrup, there is also Grenadine liqueur, containing up to 3.5% alcohol. In 1825, the owner of the JR Phillips company, James Phillips, presented the world with an interesting line of medicinal liqueurs, of which Phillips of Bristol Grenadine turned out to be one of the most original.
Modern composition of grenadine
In its original form, the syrup recipe included only pomegranate juice and sugar syrup. Now the composition, and, consequently, the taste and properties of Grenadine vary depending on the manufacturer’s plans.
In addition to the main above-mentioned components, the composition of the syrup may include juices of red and black berries - cherries, black currants, strawberries, raspberries, etc.
There are technologies that involve the introduction of artificial additives, fragrances, and flavors into the concentrate. This reduces its cost, increases its shelf life, but somewhat worsens its properties.
Some companies, such as Mott's (which makes Rose's syrup), omit the juice from the syrup altogether, offering customers a mixture of fructose corn concentrate, water, artificial flavors, red food coloring, citric acid, benzoate and sodium citrate.
The best brands can be purchased from the French company Monin, the Dutch Bols and the American Sonoma Syrup. Their products contain 10% fresh pomegranate.
Among liqueurs - syrups with added alcohol - the products of JR Phillips have proven themselves well.
Attention! If you are still wondering how to choose good Grenadine, then when purchasing, pay attention to two things - the composition of the syrup and its expiration date. Please note that once opened, the bottle can be stored (in the refrigerator) for no more than 2 months.
Benefits of Grenadine for the body
Syrup made from natural pomegranate juice preserves many of the micro-components of pomegranate in small quantities:
- vitamin complex: tocopherol (vitamin E), phylloquinones (vitamin K), ascorbic (vitamin C) and folic (vitamin B 9) acids;
- mineral complex: phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc, iron and phosphorus;
They determine the beneficial effect of pomegranate concentrate on the body. Grenadine syrup is capable of:
- reduce cholesterol levels;
- reduce the risk of cardiac problems;
- normalize blood pressure;
- increase reproductive abilities;
Anthocyanins in the syrup destroy harmful microorganisms, and polyphenols reduce the risk of cancer and slow down the aging process.
The syrup should not be used only in cases of diabetes mellitus and allergies to its composition.
Homemade Grenadine Recipe
How to prepare pomegranate liqueur was discussed in another article, today we will prepare pomegranate syrup, and according to all the rules.
Cooking features
Homemade pomegranate syrup is simply ideal due to its naturalness. But there are a few points that are better to know before you start preparing it.
- The shelf life of the syrup (in the refrigerator) is not long - only 2-3 weeks, but it can be slightly extended:
- adding 1 tsp during cooking (5 minutes before readiness). lemon juice;
- adding strong alcohol to the composition;
- sterilizing and drying the bottles/jars before pouring the syrup into them.
- Strong alcohol is added only to chilled pomegranate syrup. In this case, virtually any 40-proof alcohol is suitable - cognac, brandy, gin, rum, etc. It should be borne in mind that the taste of the syrup from these drinks will change slightly. The classic combination is: alcohol 40-45% or vodka and grenadine. In any case, take 5-25 ml of strong alcohol for half a liter of juice (indicated in the recipe).
- The amount of sugar in the recipe varies. How much you take will depend on the sweetness of the syrup, its thickness and shelf life. Juice and sugar in a 1:1 ratio allows you to get a more viscous and sweet syrup that can be stored for up to a month.
- Part of the pomegranate juice (up to 50%) can be replaced with any other red juice - cherry, blackcurrant, strawberry, raspberry, etc. This will not spoil the concentrate, it will just diversify its taste a little. We use only freshly squeezed juices in the recipe.
- If desired, you can add additives to the composition: vanillin, 2-3 drops of essence (orange, rose, etc.).
List of components and preparation technology
Prepare:
- pomegranate juice – 0.5 l;
- granulated sugar (white) – 250-500 gr.
Let's get started:
- Pour the juice into the sugar, bring to a boil and reduce to half the volume. This usually happens by simmering over low heat for 15-40 minutes (the cooking time depends on how thick the syrup will be). Stir occasionally during the process.
- Add the desired additives and strong alcohol to the cooled concentrate. However, even without this step it is considered ready.
- Pour into a sterile glass bottle and seal. Keep in the refrigerator.
Attention! Homemade Grenadine syrup will differ in color from its store-bought counterpart. This is normal: the lower brightness is due to the naturalness of the components and the absence of dyes.
How to use Grenadine syrup correctly
The product is not consumed on its own, but it is an excellent sweetener, coloring and flavoring agent. Therefore it is used as:
- topping for desserts and ice cream;
- gravy for pancakes and casseroles;
- impregnation for biscuits;
- base of meat sauces;
- component of salad dressings;
- cocktail component.
Usually in recipes the syrup is expressed in milliliters, but sometimes grams are indicated. It’s easy to understand how much you need to take: in 1 glass (250 ml) – 350 grams of syrup; in 1 tbsp. – 20 gr.; in 1 tsp. – 7 gr.
Cocktails with Grenadine
Attention! In recipes you can use homemade syrup, so instead of the word “grenadine” in the composition, the phrase “pomegranate syrup” or “pomegranate liqueur” will be used. You should know that these are one and the same!
Cocktails with Grenadine are:
- alcoholic: Hurricane, and others, or Bacardi rum;
- non-alcoholic: Bora Bora (250 ml Sprite + 25 ml pomegranate syrup + 0.5 tsp lime juice), Roy Rogers (250 ml cola + 10 ml pomegranate syrup), etc.
In addition, pomegranate syrup can be frozen in ice trays and served with whiskey, gin, or champagne.
"Sea breeze"
Mix in an ice-filled highball glass:
- brandy (apricot) - 50 ml;
- lemon juice – 50 ml;
- gin – 50 ml.
Add a couple of drops of pomegranate liqueur and top up with soda.
"Picnic"
Mix in a blender:
- whiskey () – 25 ml;
- pineapple juice – 50 ml;
- pomegranate syrup – 10 ml;
- peach – ½ peeled fruit;
- mango – ¼ peeled fruit.
"Beach Day"
- light rum – 30 ml;
- – 15 ml;
- fresh orange – 60 ml;
- pomegranate liqueur - 15 ml.
"Mimosa"
Mix flute in a glass:
- champagne – 1 bottle (0.75 l.)
- pineapple juice – 250 ml;
- orange juice – 450 ml;
- pomegranate liqueur – 60 ml.
"Strawberry Bounty"
Mix in a shaker filled with ice:
- orange liqueur () – 10 ml;
- vodka – 20 ml;
- cream - 20 ml;
- coconut syrup – 10 ml;
- vanilla syrup – 10 ml;
- pomegranate syrup - 5 ml;
- strawberries - puree of 4 berries.
Strain before serving.
"Luigi"
Mix in a shaker filled with ice:
- orange liqueur () – 15 ml;
- white vermouth – 35 ml;
- gin – 35 ml;
- tangerine juice – 30 ml;
- pomegranate liqueur – 10 ml.
"Pink Lady"
Mix in a shaker filled with ice:
- gin – 45 ml;
- egg white – 1 pc.;
- pomegranate liqueur – 3-4 drops.
"Buz-fiz"
Mix in a shaker filled with ice:
- - 10 ml;
- raspberry syrup – 10 ml;
- pomegranate syrup - 5 ml;
- strawberries - puree of 2 berries.
Strain into a glass and add 120 ml of sparkling wine (champagne).
"Marilyn Monroe"
Mix in a glass:
- champagne – 100 ml;
- Calvados – 25 ml;
- pomegranate liqueur – 6 ml.
"Garnet bracelet"
Mix in a shaker filled with ice:
- lemon juice – 10 ml;
- orange juice – 20 ml;
- pomegranate juice – 40 ml;
- pomegranate liqueur – 2-3 drops.
Shirley Temple (non-alcoholic)
Mix in an ice-filled glass:
- – 150 ml;
- pomegranate syrup – 10 ml;
- sugar syrup – 30 ml.
Add a couple of drops of pomegranate syrup and top up with soda.
Grenadine is a thick red syrup with a sweet and sour taste. Grenadine syrup is used by bartenders to prepare a variety of alcoholic cocktails. The drink consists of sugar syrup and pomegranate juice, but this is a classic version. In recent years, manufacturers have allowed the replacement of pomegranate with artificial ingredients and black currants. There is also an alcoholic version of Grenadine, which is a low-alcohol liqueur.
The most famous cocktail, the recipe of which includes Grenadine, is Tequila Sunrise. In the 90s of the last century, the beer “Grenabir” (“Christmas beer”) appeared, which also contains the mentioned syrup. The “Boyarsky” cocktail (syrup, drops of Tabasco and vodka) has become popular in St. Petersburg. Non-alcoholic cocktails with Grenadine are also known to consumers.
History of Grenadine syrup
Grenadine syrup first appeared in 1825. The inventor is considered to be James Phillips, who lived in Bristol for a long time. Phillips already in 1739 was known as one of the most famous wine merchants. In 1804, Phillips changed his occupation, becoming a chief accountant at a large alcohol company. A few years later, Phillips made a dizzying career and became a partner with the owners of the company. Historians associate the appearance of Phillips of Bristol Grenadine liqueur with the name of this man.
In 1825, Phillips became the full owner of the firm now known as JR Phillips. Sons August and William continued their father's work. The Philips family clan began producing the Old English cordials line of liqueurs, a prominent example of which is Grenadine liqueur. In addition to Grenadine, the line includes the following types of alcoholic drinks:
- Pink cloves;
- Green Peppermint;
- White Peppermint;
- Shrub.
How to make syrup at home
The strength of Grenadine liqueur is 3.5%. The recipe involves the use of exclusively natural ingredients (spices and herbs, pomegranate juice, sugar, alcohol). The end result should be a ruby red drink. You can make syrup at home by diluting it with any type of strong alcohol. To do this, you need to take 500 grams of sugar and a liter of pomegranate juice (a prerequisite is that the product is natural). Cooking steps:
- Boil pomegranate juice. After waiting for it to boil, put the liquid on low heat, then set aside for 15-20 minutes.
- Make sure that the volume of juice has been reduced by half and the consistency has become thicker. Start adding sugar, stirring continuously with a spoon. The sand should completely dissolve (when this happens, remove the liquid from the heat).
- After cooling the future Grenadine, pour it into a container (glass) and leave it in a cool place.
- The finished product must be hidden in the refrigerator.
If you have blackcurrants, you can combine them with pomegranate. To make a liqueur from the syrup, just mix Grenadine with vodka (about 25 ml) and add a couple of drops of rose water to the drink. Pomegranate juice is best squeezed from fresh fruit, and there should be no seeds in the fruit. Store-bought juices are considered a bad solution because they contain preservatives in the recipe. Essence (or aromatic water) emphasizes the aroma, but it is extremely important not to overdo it.
How to use
Please note: it is not customary to serve syrup in its pure form. Grenadine is included in many alcohol-containing cocktails - this is its main purpose. Among these cocktails, the most famous are:
- "Sea breeze";
- "Tequila Sunrise";
- "La Tomat"
- "Dirty Shirley"
- "Marilyn Monroe";
- "Hurricane".
Non-alcoholic cocktails include Pink Lemonade, Roy Rogers, Bora Bora and Shirley Temple. Grenadine is also used as a meat sauce - thanks to it, the meat acquires a piquant and rich taste. You can add syrup to stewed vegetables, salad dressings and pilaf.
Famous syrup producers
Among syrup producers, the most popular is “Rose’s” - the reason lies in the budget of this brand. The downside is that Rose's drinks are made with colors, flavors, sweeteners and corn syrup. We recommend purchasing Grenadine, which is based on pomegranate. Here is a list of tested brands:
- Employees Only;
- Small Hand Foods;
- Sonoma Syrup;
- Stirrings;
- B.G. Reynolds.
If you are interested in pomegranate liqueurs, you should pay attention to “Volare Grenadin”, “Monin”, “Brandbar”. Topping products are considered one of the best in this segment.
Popular cocktails with Grenadine
Bartenders assure that Grenadine is a universal component that will serve as a decoration for any cocktail. We list the most popular options:
- « » . The highball is filled with crushed ice, after which you need to pour in orange juice (four parts), tequila (one and a half parts), and a couple of drops of Grenadine. The contents are decorated with an orange slice and a cocktail cherry.
- "Pousse Cafe". For this cocktail you will need a highball or shot glass - several layers of different drinks are poured into it sequentially. Portions should be equal. You will need Grenadine, mint and coffee liqueurs, rum, bourbon, triple sec.
- "Bourbon Daisy". Take a shaker and pour ice inside. Add Grenadine (half of the part), bourbon (two parts), lemon juice (three-quarters of the part). All this is mixed and placed in a special cocktail glass. In the finale, a third of the yellow chartreuse is added.
- "Sea breeze". The highball is traditionally filled with ice, and equal parts of gin, lemon juice and apricot brandy are placed there. Drizzle a little Grenadine on top. Dilute with soda to taste and garnish with a fresh mint leaf.
- "Shirley Temple". This cocktail is non-alcoholic. The ingredients are Grenadine syrup (one third), five parts ginger ale, part sugar syrup. The drink is served with a cherry and ice.
- « » . You will need Monin Grenadine and vodka (25 ml each), red Tabasco sauce, a cocktail spoon and a shot glass. First, the stack is filled with syrup in the specified volume, then a layer of vodka is placed (a spoonful at a time), and Tabasco is placed on top (4-5 drops are enough).