Once January arrives, especially after the holidays, I'm usually craving some lighter food and drink options, and while I'm sure others feel that way too, I stand by my opinion that lighter options never have to be less delicious! In that category definitely falls cocktails, and while I love myself a tried and true sour mix margarita, this time of year especially I'm looking for the freshest option, including delicious mocktails!
I may have been part of the group who heard the word mocktail and assumed it would be boring and taste pretty much like a flavored soda water. Recently though, I've discovered just how incredibly delicious, refreshing, and satisfying a mocktail can be. Just like this lemon pomegranate mocktail.
A simple syrup! It's essential, and while you may think simple syrup sounds "unhealthy", rest assured, a homemade version isn't so bad at all! We'll start with a few easy ingredients-
Add the above to a microwavable glass bowl (or preferably a glass measuring cup if you have one) and microwave for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir to ensure all the sugar is dissolved. Place a strainer over a small bowl and strain the simple syrup, discarding the leftover lemon zest.
Once the simple syrup is all set, it's time to grab that pomegranate! Now if it's available you can also grab some pomegranate juice from the store, but I find that juicing a pomegranate creates the most delicious and fresh pomegranate juice out there! It's actually much easier than you'd think too. If this is your first time, there are some great videos online for cutting one up, but basically here's the gist of it!
You'll want to use a knife to cut off the top third of the pomegranate. Once you've done that, cut about 5-6 slits from the top cut part to the bottom, basically creating "petals" which you'll peel down to expose the seeds. Flip the opened pomegranate down on a plate, whack it with a spoon, and out should pop most of the seeds! It's pretty easy to use your hands to remove any that stuck.
Once you've removed the seeds from the pomegranate, juicing the seeds is actually so easy! Plus even though you might not think so, you can actually get a really good amount of juice from one pomegranate. It's as easy as-
Once you have the delicious, fresh, and super pretty colored pomegranate juice, it's as easy as putting it all together. In my opinion, nothing dresses up a mocktail like a pretty glass and nice shaped ice cubes. Like I said, there's no reason a mocktail has to be boring, and dressing it up the right way makes it extra fun!
To put each mocktail together you'll want to grab-
Add everything to a cocktail glass in that order, then repeat with the other one if you're making two! Between the homemade simple syrup and the fresh pomegranate juice, I'm not sure any mocktail could be any more refreshing than this one.
After the holidays, healthy and refreshing drinks like this lemon pomegranate mocktail are the perfect pick-me-up when you're craving something delicious and lighter.
Servings: 2
Prep Time: 9 minutes
Cook Time: 1 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
This lemon pomegranate mocktail is the perfect combination of fresh pomegranate juice and homemade and light lemon zest simple syrup, topped with fizzy seltzer and a mint sprig.
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