Homemade grenadine

[taxlady]

I would like to have some real grenadine - pomegranate syrup. The stuff you can buy has high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavour, red & blue dye and some other stuff, but no pomegranate..

I found a recipe. 1 quart of pomegranate juice, 2 cups of sugar, heat it to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover, simmer for 10 -15 minutes, stir once in a while, cool it off. Should make ~a.5 cups.

I cut the recipe in half and the result was far too runny and, as I expected, it didn't reduce nearly as much as promised.. I tried making a tequila sunrise and it was just brown 2/3 of the way up, not what I was aiming for.

I reduced it. It's probably too thick. I add a little bit of water. I stirred like crazy. I tried making another tequila sunrise. This time I had to stir to get any of the "grenadine" to dissolve. I stirred very carefully, trying to stir only the bottom, but I ended up with a dark orange drink, with no "sunrise".

Any suggestions? Does anyone else make grenadine themself?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Interesting problem, never thought to make my own. I'm betting it's a chemical reaction with the orange juice or alcohol that makes it turn brown. I have no clue what could fix that except using the store bought stuff. Does it otherwise taste good?

 

[taxlady]

Interesting problem, never thought to make my own. I'm betting it's a chemical reaction with the orange juice or alcohol that makes it turn brown. I have no clue what could fix that except using the store bought stuff. Does it otherwise taste good?

It tastes fine. It seems to be redder in its more reduced version. I just want it to dissolve in the OJ the same way store bought grenadine does. I want that pretty sunrise.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

It tastes fine. It seems to be redder in its more reduced version. I just want it to dissolve in the OJ the same way store bought grenadine does. I want that pretty sunrise.

Try it just in a glass of OJ, no tequila. Then you will know which it is interacting with to change color. If it's red in the OJ then alcohol is the culprit, if it turns brown the OJ is making it change color.

 

[taxlady]

Try it just in a glass of OJ, no tequila. Then you will know which it is interacting with to change color. If it's red in the OJ then alcohol is the culprit, if it turns brown the OJ is making it change color.

Okay, tried that. It's a nice dark red at the bottom of the OJ. It's not dissolving properly. I have to stir it too much. Then I end up with a uniform colour and that's not a sunrise.

I wonder if I should thin it out some more. Maybe it would work better if I started with pomegranates instead of just the juice. Maybe there's too much sugar? Right now, I would settle for a brown sunrise

It's been a long time since I tended bar. I don't remember the consistency of that fake stuff. I don't remember if one stirred the tequila sunrise just a little bit. I do remember that it goes in last.

I have now added some tequila to my OJ and grenadine. Wouldn't want a glass of OJ to go to waste

 

[PrincessFiona60]

You shouldn't have to stir it. It should just rise naturally, it might be too thick. Been a long time, I seem to remember it was just a tiny bit thicker than apple juice.

 

[Hoot]

This is quite interesting. I would have thought that making pomegranate syrup would not only be easy but better than the stuff we see bottled in stores. Turns out, according to the following article, it's not that simple.
I love this place!! Always something to research, learn about, and discover!

Grenadine Syrup :: Art of Drink

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Thanks Hoot!

I think I can see part of the problem. Make simple syrup, fairly reduced, allow to cool and then add the pomegranate juice to taste. Maybe it is the cooking of the pomegranate that makes it brown mixed in with the oj and tequila.

 

[CWS4322]

I juice pomegranates when they are in season. I've never thought to do anything other than drink the juice (which I LOVE). I have resisted buying the pomegranate juicer tool...

Arils Removal Professional Pomegranate peeling tool - YouTube

 

[taxlady]

This is quite interesting. I would have thought that making pomegranate syrup would not only be easy but better than the stuff we see bottled in stores. Turns out, according to the following article, it's not that simple.
I love this place!! Always something to research, learn about, and discover!

Grenadine Syrup :: Art of Drink

Thanks for the link Hoot. My "tequila sunrise" looked like the one in the article. I wouldn't have described the colour as being quite as ugly as the author of that article did.

Thanks Hoot!

I think I can see part of the problem. Make simple syrup, fairly reduced, allow to cool and then add the pomegranate juice to taste. Maybe it is the cooking of the pomegranate that makes it brown mixed in with the oj and tequila.

One place I found gave two recipes. One started with pomegranates and sugar and heated it, the other recipe was simple syrup with pomegranate juice added. It mentioned that the second method produces a very runny grenadine.

Obviously, the stuff I reduced is not runny enough. Hmm, that first batch did give the sunrise effect.

I will give the simple syrup and pomegranate juice method a try. So, do you think a "rich simple syrup" of two parts sugar to 1 part water (by volume) would be a good starting point?

BTW, the smell of the reducing pomegranate syrup is not very nice and it is still lingering today. The kitchen window is near the stove and was and is wide open.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

As long as the pomegranate juice holds out and you don't mind getting rid of the evidence...may as well try it. Sounds good, a thicker simple syrup with the juice added. Like I said, I thought Grenadine was just a bit thicker than apple juice...

 

[Dawgluver]

As long as the pomegranate juice holds out and you don't mind getting rid of the evidence...may as well try it. Sounds good, a thicker simple syrup with the juice added. Like I said, I thought Grenadine was just a bit thicker than apple juice...

+1 on all counts.

As I recall,( apropos to nothing), grenadine was also used in a Pink Lady and a Pink Squirrel.

 

[taxlady]

+1 on all counts.

As I recall,( apropos to nothing), grenadine was also used in a Pink Lady and a Pink Squirrel.

And in a Shirley Temple (my first experiences with grenadine).

Getting rid of the evidence is the part that will be hard for me. I keep thinking it must have some use, since it tastes good enough. Experience tells me that it will probably live in the fridge, waiting for a brilliant idea, until it starts growing something or dries up.

 

[JustJoel]

Thanks for the link Hoot. My "tequila sunrise" looked like the one in the article. I wouldn't have described the colour as being quite as ugly as the author of that article did.

One place I found gave two recipes. One started with pomegranates and sugar and heated it, the other recipe was simple syrup with pomegranate juice added. It mentioned that the second method produces a very runny grenadine.

Obviously, the stuff I reduced is not runny enough. Hmm, that first batch did give the sunrise effect.

I will give the simple syrup and pomegranate juice method a try. So, do you think a "rich simple syrup" of two parts sugar to 1 part water (by volume) would be a good starting point?

BTW, the smell of the reducing pomegranate syrup is not very nice and it is still lingering today. The kitchen window is near the stove and was and is wide open.

I’m amazed by the myriad subjects in these forums. The serendipity of your thread is notable! Ive been struggling with this since the beginning of summer.

I’ve tried making pomegranate syrup, and I’ve tried many of the commercially produced “real” grenadine (sorry, I don’t remember the brand names). They all afforded the same result: Tequila Smog (what some other posters have called “bildge water,” an equally apt name). I did like the fresh and complex taste that the syrups, both homemade and store-bought, imparted to the cocktail, but just couldn’t get over the dismal, apocalyptic color! I don’t use grenadine in anything else, presently.

Many other people have posted suggestions, and links to websites. They’re all fascinating, and I’m planning to check some of them out. But I’m not willing to put that much effort into a syrup that I only have single use for, at least not at this moment in my life!

Corn syrup is arguably a bad ingredient, especially when it’s the main ingredient. But is there anything inherently unhealthy about red food coloring? When I try again, I’m thinking about making a pomegranate syrup, and adding a bit of food coloring so I can have my smog-free sunrise!

Oh, when I’m out of grenadine, I sometimes make a tequila madras. Reduce the orange juice a bit and top the cocktail off with a good quality cranberry juice. It’s more of a sunset than a sunrise, as the cranberry juice floats on top of the OJ. I’m okay with that!