Fruit Fizz with Homemade Grenadine

Shirley Temples were one of my all-time favorite drinks as a kid.  There’s no telling how many I had at weddings, birthday parties, and other events growing up.  They are a sparkling, sweet drink with a fun name, and all kids seem to love them, but goodness, is store bought grenadine loaded with garbage.   Other than water, there is not one real ingredient in Rose’s Grenadine.

High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Red 40, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Blue 1.

Grenadine is so simple to make and perfect for the holidays, family gatherings, and outdoor celebrations, like Labor Day!  All you need is some pomegranate juice, sugar, and orange peel.

In a saucepan add 1 cup pomegranate juice, 3/4 cup of sugar, and a couple strips of orange peel. Most recipes called for Orange Flower Water, which I didn’t have, so I just added orange peel instead.  Bring those to a boil, stirring frequently.  Reduce to a simmer, until the juice thickens, about 10 minutes.

Once it has thickened, remove it from the heat and pour it into a glass container.  Let it cool completely, and then place it in the refrigerator where it will stay fresh for a couple weeks.

This would be a great hostess gift, or gift for friends at the holidays!

Now, time to make a Fruit Fizz!  I added 1 tbsp of homemade grenadine per cup of sparkling water.  I topped it with some blackberries and mint but you could use whatever you have on hand.  Citrus and ginger would work great in this recipe.

The fruit fizz would be a great treat for anyone looking to kick a soda habit.  One tbsp. of the homemade grenadine has 7 grams of sugar, compared to 10 grams per tbsp. in Rose’s grenadine, and 27 grams of sugar in one 8 oz of soda.    It’s fizzy, sweet, and colorful, but with no additives, chemicals, and excessive amounts of sugar!

Enjoy!