Serving pretty cocktails at your holiday parties is always a fun way to personalize and customize the experience. You can serve them with appetizers before dinner, or right along side the main meal, cocktails (and their alcohol free counterparts “mocktails”) don’t have to be hard to create or require a ton of ingredients.
Very similar to the cranberry-based Cosmopolitan, a pomegranate martini (or Pomtini) is a tart and sweet drink with a touch of acidity. It only typically contains 3 ingredients: Vodka, Pomegranate Juice and Orange Liqueur.
Because the holidays are already loaded with excessive calories, I’ve modified this recipe from from the traditional alcoholic version, by removing the alcohol and replacing it with 7UP. Not only can 7UP replace the Vodka, but it also brings the citrus flavors of the orange liqueur. That means this mocktail only includes 2 ingredients:
Unlike other typical cocktail fruit juices (like Pineapple or Orange) Pomegranate juice is a much more seasonal option. In the fall and winter, fresh pomegranates are in season and the beautiful tart flavors and plentiful juice in the delicate arils make them a great fit for use in beverages.
Start by adding a few pomegranate arils to the bottom of a martini glass. (If you want to know the fastest and easiest way to remove Pomegranate arils from a whole fresh pomegranate I’ve done a tutorial on it here.)
Next add 4 ounces of lemon lime soda directly to the arils!
Finally, add 2 oz Pomegranate juice.
A great way to get the juice out of Pomegranate arils is to add them to a zip-top bag, apply firm pressure with a rolling pin and then cut the corner off the bag to drain off the juice.
Alternatively you can buy ready to serve Pomegranate juice was well:
Because we are substituting carbonated soda in place of the orange liqueur and vodka, you want to make sure this Martini is stirred, not shaken.
You end up with a gorgeous red color with floating pomegranate arils that almost look like little jewels.
If you want to scale up the recipe, the ratio is 1 part Pomegranate juice for every 2 parts lemon lime soda.
If martinis aren't you think, you won't want to miss this collection of 20 more fabulous drink recipes:
