Sweet and scarlet, grenadine is what makes a Tequila Sunrise (page 117) rise and what turns a Shirley Temple (page 235) into a grin-inducing mocktail. Unfortunately, most commercial grenadines are nothing more than sugar water and red dye, which is why making it from scratch is preferable. We offer you a simple recipe that can easily be made with POM, a flash-pasteurized juice made from pomegranates, or with freshly squeezed pomegranate juice (use a levered juicer; each fruit yields 2 to 3 ounces (60 to 90 ml). Many grocery stores carry orange flower water in their international foods section.
MAKES 1½ CUPS (12 OUNCES) (356 ML)
1 cup (8 ounces, or 240 ml) pomegranate juice
1 cup (200 g) Demerara sugar
½ teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 to 3 drops orange flower water
Pour the juice into a small saucepan and add sugar. Turn the heat to medium-low and stir until the sugar dissolves, about 3 to 4 minutes. Do not boil—you want the flavors to remain fresh, not to taste cooked. When the sugar is dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and stir in lime juice and orange flower water. Cool, then transfer to a clean bottle or jar. Covered, this will last in the refrigerator for about 1 month.
Note: To add to the shelf life of homemade grenadine, drop in an ounce of vodka or bourbon.