Easy 2-ingredient Grenadine Syrup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a homemade substitute for grenadine? ›

Pomegranate juice + simple syrup

Another great grenadine substitute? Pomegranate juice and simple syrup. Mix together 2 parts simple syrup and 1 part pomegranate juice. It makes a sweet, bright red syrup that's very similar to the real thing.

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.

"Grenadine is a lovely, refreshing drink to have on its own, served with sparkling water or lemonade and some ice," she says. "It's a wonderful addition to many classic co*cktails and mocktails as well, such as the tequila sunrise, Bahama mama, or the Shirley Temple.

Pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice are the three main ingredients of homemade grenadine syrup, creating the perfect balance of tart and sweet. Store-bought grenadine on the other hand is usually made with little more than high-fructose corn syrup, citric acid, and red food coloring.

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.

But, for a less faithful adaptation that'll add a pleasant shot of tartness to your co*cktails, swap grenadine for another crimson jewel: Make our homemade grenadine with cranberry juice instead.

Unsweetened pomegranate juice is the best grenadine substitute because it has a tart flavor that can be balanced with different flavors. Fruit juice is also a good grenadine substitute, but it doesn't have the same depth of flavor as unsweetened pomegranate juice.

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.

In their modern form, the cherries are first preserved in a brine solution usually containing sulfur dioxide and calcium chloride to bleach the fruit, then soaked in a suspension of food coloring (common red food dye is FD&C Red 40), sugar syrup, and other components.

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!

Why pour grenadine over spoon? ›

The most common technique to float or layer an ingredient is to pour it slowly over the back of a spoon. This disperses the liquid over a wider surface area, allowing it to float rather than sink under its own weight.

Pour the grenadine syrup into the mixing tumbler (the smaller part) of the shaker. Pour the double espresso over the syrup so it dissolves. Fill the tin (the bigger part) of the shaker with ice cubes until it is 3/4 full.

Nope! Grenadine is thinner in consistency, which means it will mix into your drinks differently. It's also flavored with pomegranate or citric acid, not strawberry. This strawberry syrup can definitely fill in for grenadine if you need it to, though.

The syrup can be made at home or bought, but the liquor site warns that store-bought versions are often full of corn syrup and food coloring. The bartender goes on to share that his bar carries grenadine from two different brands because one of them, Finest Call, has 1% alcohol while the other is alcohol-free.

The name “grenadine” originates from the French word grenade, which means pomegranate.

Modern Grenadine

Rose's grenadine, the most popular brand, is made from "High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Red 40, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Blue 1." Yum!