Last night I revisited two problematic grenadine drinks, substituting the 50 brix grenadine recipe from Tropical Standard (fresh squeezed pomegranate, sugar and a touch of citric acid—no cooking).
The first was the Jack Rose, I drink I have always loved but seldom liked. I made it with 2 oz Laird’s Bonded, 3/4 oz lemon juice and 1 oz of the grenadine. The result had by far the best color and taste I’ve ever experienced with the drink.
The only problem, here, is that it seems quite unlikely drink was ever made with fresh pomegranate juice, so is this still a Jack Rose, or is it something else?
Next, I revisited the Satan’s Whiskers, a drink with two problems: orange juice and grenadine. For two servings, I used 2 oz Tanqueray, and 2 oz orange juice acid-adjusted to lemon (also documented in Tropical Standard). I found I needed about 1/2 oz of the 50 brix grenadine to (barely) balance that. (And of course, I added a decent splash of absinthe/pastis.)
The result was gorgeous and quite tasty. One could argue that it’s now too tart, too pomegranate-y. Lots of room for further experimentation.
Of all the contemporary “gourmet” approaches to grenadine, I’m quite sold on the fresh-squeezed approach Garret Richard advocates as being the most compelling by miles. It’s easy to make. No shelf life, of course.