Monday, April 9, 2012

Grenadine Syrup

Grenadine syrup is used in making many cocktail drinks and it has a very vibrant red jewel like color. Read this article to know more about grenadine syrup.


A cocktail drink is so much more than just a regular alcoholic drink. It should not only taste divine but should look appealing as well. So much of a cocktail being a favorite has to do with its vivid colors and its presentation. Can you imagine a Tequila Sunrise or a Shirley Temple without the wonderful flavors and dramatic colors of grenadine syrup. Traditionally grenadine syrup is made from pomegranate juice and sugar which is reduced to a syrupy thick consistency. It can also be made with raspberry, redcurrant, blackberry or cherries. Grenadine syrup has a bright red color that is used with alcohols to make attractive cocktail drinks. It is often used in fruit cakes and custards to give a complex fruity and tart flavor.


Grenadine Syrup Ingredients


The ingredients that go into the making of a grenadine syrup are quite simple. The primary ingredient for grenadine syrup is fresh ripe pomegranates. The pomegranates are peeled and the ruby red seeds are mixed with granulated sugar to make this delicious syrup. Other ingredients that are used for making grenadine syrup are a mixture of blackcurrant juice and refined sugar, redcurrant juice with sugar, raspberry juice with sugar and blackberry juice with sugar. Although using fruits other than pomegranates will give you almost the same color of the syrup, the flavor will vary from juice to juice. The bottled grenadine juice that is available in most supermarkets does not use pomegranate but uses artificial ingredients with a high fructose corn syrup base.


Grenadine Syrup Recipes


Grenadine syrup can be easily made at home and is much healthier than the bottled version available in the stores which is full of artificial sweeteners and flavors. Here are two grenadine syrup recipes that you can use.


Grenadine Syrup Recipe #1


Ingredients


2 Pomegranates


1Ѕ cup water


1 cup granulated sugar


Method


Cut the pomegranate into half and remove all the seeds into a bowl. Place a heavy saucepan on the burner and add the pomegranate seeds with 1Ѕ cups of water. Allow the water to simmer at low heat and mash the pomegranate seeds with a wooden ladle so that the juices are released. Simmer this mixture for another 10 to 15 minutes and then pour this mixture through a cheese cloth into a bowl. Press the juices out of the seeds firmly and discard the seeds. Place the pomegranate juice back onto the heat and add the sugar. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes till you get a syrup like consistency. Let the syrup cool down before pouring it into bottles.


Grenadine Syrup Recipe #2


Ingredients


2 cups pomegranate juice


1 cup sugar syrup


Method


Combine the pomegranate juice with the sugar syrup and shake them together in a tightly closed jar. This is an excellent way to make grenadine syrup for cocktails although the resulting syrup is more watery in consistency.


Grenadine Syrup Substitute


If you do not have grenadine syrup and you need to make a mojito that requires it, then you need a substitute for grenadine syrup. A good grenadine syrup substitute would be dilute pomegranate syrup or pomegranate molasses with a bit of water. You can also use crиme de cassis, raspberry syrup, cranberry juice cocktail concentrate or maraschino syrup which is a cherry flavored syrup.


Read more about:


Pomegranate Syrup


High Fructose Corn Syrup


Sugar Cane Syrup


Pomegranate Martini Recipe


This was all about grenadine syrup and how you can make it at home. Grenadine syrup calories is around 54 for 1 tablespoon of the syrup. Store brought grenadine syrup can be cloyingly sweet and hence it should be used only in moderation in cocktail drinks.

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