Home Made Syrups and Whatnot

I think I've already groused enough about store bought Grenadine, so I won't spend a long time trying to convince anyone that making your own is a good idea - hopefully I've already done that! I've been promising that I would try making my own Grenadine for a few weeks now, but it wasn't until last night that I finally took a whole 20 minutes out of my "busy" day and boiled the pomegranate juice that I bought back in late June. Despite one small misstep which resulted in me having to spend fifteen minutes removing carbonized pomegranate from the stove top, the process was relatively painless. Here are the instructions I followed - while there were more complicated recipes online, I think simple is better here (I'm still mystified as to what "orange flower water" is):

Procure 2-4 cups of pomegranate juice. Fresh juice is highly recommended - nothing from concentrate
if at all possible. Pomegranate is often mixed in juice cocktails, but you will have to look a little bit to find pure pomegranate juice. POM is the most popular brand, but there are less expensive options available. I was able to find a 4 cup (32 ounce) bottle of organic pomegranate juice for $2 less than POM.

Boil the pomegranate juice until you have reduced the liquid by half. Watch out - this stuff boils up like crazy if you are not careful and it can spill over your pot in a heartbeat - hence my burner cleaning chore. Carbonized pomegranate doesn't smell particularly great...

Once your juice has reduced by half, transfer to a glass measuring bowl. Slowly whisk in sugar - you should use equal parts sugar and juice. If you started with 32 ounces of juice (before boiling), then you should add two cups (16 ounces) of sugar. If you started with 16 ounces of juice, only add one cup of sugar.

Once the sugar has been fully mixed into the juice, allow the resulting syrup solution to cool and then bottle and refrigerate. You wind up with a much darker product than commercial Grenadine and you'll find the flavor is significantly different. No more high fructose corn syrup (which is either a good or bad thing, is suppose, depending on your tastes)!

Another bar staple that you can easily make at home and that significantly enhances your drink quality is Sweet & Sour Mix (sometimes just called Sour mix). This recipe is even simpler, as there is no need to reduce anything. All you will need is a 3 pound bag of lemons, a 3 pound bag of limes, some sugar and some water! Here's the step-by-step instructions:

Heat three cups of water on the stove - do not boil, instead you'll keep the water at "hot tub" levels. I would recommend using distilled water - tap water works fine, but the minerals and impurities in the tap water (especially in South Bend, IN) can give your Sour mix a weird after taste.

Slowly add three cups of sugar to the hot but not boiling water. Add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of sugar at a time, allowing the sugar to fully dissolve before adding your next spoonful.

Guess what? You just made simple syrup! Congratulations! If you were making mojitos or any number of other drinks, you could stop right here. Good to know for future reference, right? A real bartender NEVER buys simple syrup - make your own people!

Half and then juice your lemons and limes. You will need two cups each of lemon and lime juice. I like my sour mix a little pulpy, but if you'd like the clean, commercial look for your sour mix, strain your lemon and lime juice through cheese cloth to remove any of the lemon and lime pulp.

Combine your simple syrup mixture with your two cups of lemon and two cups of lime juice. Shake well and refrigerate. Now you have your very own Sour mix. Again, no more high fructose corn syrup taste, which is a big win in my book. The lemon and lime flavors stand out a bit more as well, which can add some nice notes to your drink that the processed Sour mix lacks.

Hey, congrats - you just learned how to make three different bar syrups! Enjoy!