Grown-Up Shirley Temple with Real Pomegranate Grenadine

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The soda-fountain classic rebuilt like a proper cocktail: a from-scratch pomegranate grenadine cooked down with a strip of orange peel, a shaken base of lime and fresh ginger for backbone, and a slow ginger ale top so the syrup sinks into a red sunset at the bottom of the glass. Syrup-soaked cherries stand in for the neon jarred ones, and a squeeze of citrus keeps the whole thing tart rather than candy-sweet. Zero alcohol, all of the ceremony.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups 100% pomegranate juice, unsweetened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp pomegranate molasses (optional, for depth)
• 2 strips orange peel, wide, no white pith
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp orange blossom water (optional)

• 16 frozen dark sweet cherries, thawed, or fresh cherries, pitted
• 3 tbsp pomegranate grenadine (from above)
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 3 cups chilled ginger ale or ginger beer (non-alcoholic)
• ice cubes, preferably large
• 4 wheels lime, thin, for garnish
• 4 orange twists, for garnish

Instructions

1. Make the grenadine: combine the pomegranate juice, sugar, and orange peel strips in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.
2. Bring to a bare simmer and cook at a lazy bubble for 12 to 15 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by about a third and coats the back of a spoon in a thin, glossy film. Do not let it boil hard or it will turn jammy.
3. Off the heat, stir in the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, and orange blossom water if using. Fish out and discard the orange peel. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 30 minutes; it should be cold and slightly viscous so it sinks cleanly in the glass. Store leftovers in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
4. Soak the cherries: in a small bowl, toss the pitted cherries with 3 tablespoons of the cooled grenadine and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Let sit at least 15 minutes (up to overnight, refrigerated), stirring once.
5. Make the ginger-lime base: grate the ginger on a rasp grater directly into a cocktail shaker or a lidded jar. Add the lime juice, orange juice, cold water, and salt. Fill the shaker two-thirds with ice, seal, and shake hard for 12 seconds.
6. Strain the base through a fine-mesh sieve into a small pitcher, pressing the ginger pulp with a spoon to extract every drop. Discard the pulp. You should have about 1/2 cup of aggressively fresh, cloudy juice.
7. Build the drinks: fill four tall 12- to 14-ounce glasses to the top with ice. Divide the strained ginger-lime base among them, about 2 tablespoons each.
8. Top each glass with about 3/4 cup chilled ginger ale, pouring slowly down the side of the glass over an ice cube to keep the carbonation intact. Leave about 1 inch of headroom.
9. Layer the grenadine: pour 1 tablespoon cold grenadine slowly over the back of a bar spoon held just above the surface of each drink, or trickle it down the inside wall. It will sink and bloom into a red base. Do not stir.
10. Garnish each glass with a lime wheel tucked against the ice, an orange twist expressed over the surface and dropped in, and 4 syrup-soaked cherries on a skewer. Serve immediately with a long spoon or straw so drinkers can stir the color up themselves.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

Char-Grilled Oysters with Garlic-Worcestershire Butter

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem