Grenadine is an indispensable ingredient in many colorful cocktails and drinks. Tequila Sunrise, as in the picture, is one of the best examples of grenadine drinks that has a pink or reddish tinge highlighted by this ingredient.
What is Grenadine?
Grenadine is a red colored syrup made out of pomegranates. The name ‘grenadine’ comes from the French word ‘grenade‘ which means pomegranate (Reference). Though originally it was prepared from pomegranate (or cherries) and sugar syrup, grenadine is more like a common name for many other fruit syrups such as the ones made out of raspberry, redcurrant etc.
Homemade Grenadine
Grenadine can be easily made at home. Here’s how you go about making homemade grenadine.
Grenadine Recipe
To make one cup of grenadine:
- Pour 16oz of pomegranate juice in a saucepan and bring it to a boil in high heat
- Simmer it and gradually add one cup of sugar and stir it until the sugar is completely dissolved (i.e. when the spoon moves freely while stirring)
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the preparation thickens to about a cup of syrup
- Chill and store in a bottle with a tight lid. This has a shelf life of about 3-4 weeks
Grenadine Substitute
So what if you don’t have grenadine at home when you badly want to have your tequila sunrise? You can either use raspberry syrup or even cherry juice concentrate.
And if I have none of them handy, here’s what I do.
Dissolve two tablespoons of pomegranate jam or mixed fruit jam in a cup of water. Boil it for a few minutes while continuously stirring until it is blended well and thickened. Remove from the cook top and use it as a grenadine substitute after it gets to room temperature.
Enjoy your drink made with our grenadine recipe. And I hope you figured out by now what is grenadine and what could it be substituted with!