Pomegranate Syrup (i.e. Grenadine)

I was very surprised at how little we as bartenders know about the history and origins of grenadine! I came across this question while reading a number of cocktail recipes from the 1800’s. There is a prevalence of “raspberry syrup” and other fruit syrups in a large number of old cocktails which was used in a manner very similarly to what we call grenadine today. Although behind most modern American bars I doubt you would find a bottle of raspberry syrup but rather a bottle of grenadine with ingredients similar to a cherry jolly rancher. Are grenadine and raspberry syrup connected somehow? Where did grenadine come from? Grenadine is similar to the Spanish and French word for pomegranate, is it from one of those countries?
Said to have grown in the Garden of Eden, historians can trace the pomegranates originating to the area we currently know as Iran and Iraq with the fruit coming from the Punica Granatum tree. It is showed to have spread from Iran to the surrounding Mediterranean areas and through trading, made it way around the world. The Pomegranate was brought to North America by way of the Spanish colonists and made its way to the west coast by Spanish missionaries by the 1700’s.
That’s the pomegranate, now what about grenadine huh? Well there are a number of theories about where grenadine originated and some think there is a connection with either Grenada or St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Both islands are just north of Venezuela and were discovered by the Spanish and later occupied by the French. The word for pomegranate in Spanish is Granada, in French it is Le Grenade. Both of these are similar and the island names are likely to have remained with the French after the Spanish christened them. Grenada was likely named by Spanish sailors after the city of Granada and has nothing to do with pomegranate syrup which is not an export of the country. St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which I think would make a cool name for a punk band, are a cluster of 600 islands with a total area of only 17 square miles. Again, no record of pomegranate syrup or grenadine as an export, pomegranates of which don’t even grow well in tropical climates! I think we can safely assume the only things these islands have in common with grenadine are similar names.
The use of pomegranates we can show have been with us since biblical times. They have of course been used in cooking and have been made into syrups by many cultures throughout the years. The pomegranate does not have enough natural sugar to ferment on their own so I don’t think it had any relation to alcohol until the 1800’s. If I am wrong, show me proof!
We can show that they were introduced to North America and prevalent by the 1700’s. So Jerry Thomas definitely had access to pomegranates. The problem now comes from pin pointing where the pomegranate syrup became grenadine, and then furthermore produced as a product. This is a mystery that will have to be solved at a later date. I have emailed the MOTAC and who knows what will come of this. I think starting with the first grenadine company would be a good start?
In the mean time, here is a recipe for grenadine that you can make at the bar.
Grenadine Syrup
2 cups 100% pomegranate juice
2 cups sugar (about 1 pound)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Combine all in a medium pot covered then simmer for 30 minutes, cool and strain into bottle and attach pour spout.

Let’s be honest, pomegranates are expensive, I don’t think it makes sense to buy the fruit and juice it but you can find high quality juice for a reasonable price. Another idea to make it worth it in the register is to put a drink on the menu or on special that uses grenadine syrup. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has made homemade syrups and they have just sat at the bar because I didn’t push them.
Any information at all about grenadine and its history would be appreciated and I will follow up on this article in the future with facts.

Article and Recipe By: Mark Sexauer

Lemon Gastrique

   Here in the northwest it is starting get a little less overcast and with it comes a new sense of life.  I have lived in the Midwest, East Coast, and So cal; all three have great summers.  The difference though is that in Seattle, we appreciate the hell out of summer.  We have two seasons, the rainy one and August!  The more we get of August, the better everyone feels about being here.  My last post was a chartreuse ice cream for the hot weather and I have another summer drink that is sure to please.  It has an unusual ingredient though… a Gastrique?
   Gastrique is a fancy French word for vinegar simple syrup.  You can make them a million ways but a good base recipe was in the Jan/Feb 2008 of Imbibe.  One of the most common vinegars people have in their shelves would be red or white wine vinegar.  They are very popular in Europe and their Mediterranean neighbors; wine vinegar is a huge “untapped” resource for the cocktail enthusiast.  You can of course use any vinegar, or wine for that matter but there are countless varieties of vinegar that you can experiment with to cater to your specific customer base.  To name a few that you can buy online or at a hippie grocery store are; Beer, Rice, Fruit, Infused, All sorts of colors, Malt, Cider, Balsamic, Coconut, Palm, Raisin, Cane, Honey, and Kittens.  The last one I hope is fake;) but the point is that the list is huge.  With a little experimentation, you can create a very sweet, very unique tasting syrup to add to anything you would like.
   I am sharing with you my recipe for Lemon (hint of pepper) Gastrique, here goes:

 
       The Possibilities cocktail

       13/4 oz gin
       1 oz lemon Gastrique
       1/2 oz simple syrup
       1/2 oz sweet vermouth
       2 dashes lemon bitters
       Put all in a shaker with ice and shake well, double strain into cocktail glass.

 
       Lemon Gastrique

       1 cup (cheap) red wine vinegar
       1 cup sugar
       Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
       10 crushed peppercorns (about 1/4 teaspoon)
       1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (what for?)
       1/8 teaspoon coarse (sea) salt
       Add all together in a pot and bring to medium heat and a very light boil.  Bring heat down just a little and reduce by one third (1/3).  Take off of heat and let sit to cool and continue to infuse flavor for about 10 minutes or so.  Put into squeeze bottle, add a little vodka, and use for the next week or two.  Makes a little over 1 cup, so if you like this as much as I do, double and triple the recipe as needed.

   Once you taste the possibilities of this you will understand why I love Gastriques so much.  Enjoy this drink and any others you come up with, Prost!

Article and Drink By: Mark Sexauer

Simple Syrup

   Doing some ordering at the bar, I realized we had a large plastic bottle of simple syrup, or “bar syrup” as it was called.  I always bring my own in and never even knew it was there.  These bottled simple syrups start at $5 and go up from there, to as much as $20 a bottle.  I always found it crazy to spend that amount on something you can make yourself for pennies on the dollar and with the added bonus of making it as sweet as you like.
   You can buy a 5 pound bag of regular cane sugar for about $2.50.  Sugar prices have not changed in over thirty years, and adjusting for inflation the price per pound has actually gone down over time.  I have made simple syrup with almost every kind of sugar but I did a full circle and came back around to the plain old regular white cane sugar.  It’s cheap, it’s clear, and easy to make.  Many of the sugars people use for a different, sweeter taste can be very brown and change the look of a clear drink.  Another problem I have seen with other sweeter sugars is a thicker, hard to pour liquid that clogs the spout.  There is a solution!
   Cream of Tartar (potassium hydrogen tartrate) is common in cooking and most kitchens have a jar lying around somewhere.  It is used primarily for adding texture and creaminess to everything from egg whites to candy.  Your regular white cane sugar on a molecular level is called sucrose, which are two simpler sugar molecules stuck together; glucose and fructose.  Adding an acid such as Cream of Tartar inverts the sugar, in other words it separates the two molecules and you are left with a sweeter syrup that is not so likely to crystallize.  Crystals form sometimes in simple syrup because of a lack of glucose and fructose, the molecules are different sizes and don’t fit together to start crystal formations.  I have read of people using white vinegar or lemon juice as substitutes for Cream of Tartar, I don’t recommend them.  Lemon juice needs to be used in 2 – 3 times the amount and could affect the taste of the simple syrup.  The white vinegar can be used in the same measure as the Tarter but again, could affect the taste.  I suppose citric acid or an acid blend would work but I personally have yet to try those.  It seems like the Cream of Tartar adds a slight silkiness to the simple syrup that I like.
   I use old 750ml well bottles for my syrups and juices, it is easy to pour, looks good, and most important, they are plentiful and free.

 
       Simple Syrup
       21/2 cups Water (it will reduce a little, hence the extra ½ cup)
       2 cups White Pure Cane Sugar (1 pound)
       1 teaspoon Cream of Tarter
       Combine all ingredients in a medium sized pot, covered, over medium heat.  Heat at a slow, light boil for about 25 minutes, let cool, pour into clean bottle with pour spout. 

   A quick note; the reason you let this heat for so long is to give the mixture time to break down all of the sugars.  This stuff will keep for months in or out of the refrigerator, another reason I like the 750ml bottles, you can put them right in the speed rail along with all the other liquors.

By: Mark Sexauer