Pomegranate Spice Liqueur

A subtly spiced pomegranate liqueur that is delicious added to some soda water or in a bright cocktail – like this Dr. Blossom recipe!

Alright, the last of the promised winter syrups and liqueurs (for now): pomegranate spice liqueur. For those just joining us, you can read the rest of this saga in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Part 1 has most of science notes about making liqueurs.

There’s not a lot to say about this recipe, besides that it was born out of an “I have pomegranate arils in the fridge that need to be used up” and I ended up with a tasty liqueur – not too sweet – that was fun to play with. Though actually the fact that you can control the sweetness is a great reason to play with making some of your own liqueurs. I find a lot of mass-produced liqueurs incredibly sweet. It makes it challenging to add any other sugar-based flavors to a drink. Your overall result just becomes too sweet for many palates.

So, make your own and control the sugar. Or switch the type of sugar to add other flavors!

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Pomegranate Spice Liqueur

Ingredients

• 2/3 c/150g sugar
• 2/3 c/160ml water
• ¾ c/70g pomegranate arils
• 1 ½ c/350ml vodka
• 10 g about 1 ½” cube sliced fresh ginger
• 2 g approx. 3 whole star anise
• 2 g about 6 cardamom pods, slightly crushed
• 2 g about 15 whole cloves

Instructions

• Add spices to vodka in a covered, non-reactive container (glass or plastic) and allow to sit for two days at room temperature. Strain spices.
• Bring sugar, water, and pomegranate arils to a simmer in a saucepan until all the sugar is dissolved.
• Allow to sit overnight in the fridge. Strain out pomegranate.
• Combine pomegranate syrup to the spiced vodka. Add another 80-100ml water to taste.
• Store in an air-tight, non-reactive container at room temperature.

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Dr. Blossom Cocktail

Ingredients

• ¾ oz pomegranate spice liqueur
• ¾ oz orange liqueur
• ¾ oz gin St. George Botanivore
• ¾ oz orange juice
• ¼ oz lime juice
• 1 dash black walnut bitters Fee’s

Garnish:

• Orange peel
• Lime twist

Glass:

• Coupe

Instructions

• Shake all ingredients over ice. Double strain into coupe glass.
• Twist and fold your peels into fanciful designs* (or just twist them around each other).

Notes

*Cut and twist over the glass so that the aromatic oils are released onto the surface of the drink.