VerySmallAnna

Recently I got an email from the radtastic people at POM Wonderful. Gee, I wonder why they chose NOW to email me? Could it be…*looks up at header* Hehe!

They wanted to send me some juice. And who am I to refuse sweet, tangy pomegranate juice?

Little red jewels...

I wasn’t really sure what to do with it (and I still have two bottles in my fridge!) but I knew I’d figure something out. I opened my trusty copy of the Flavor Bible and looked up pomegranates, hoping to find some inspiration. And did I ever!

Mmmm, so RED.

One thing that caught my attention was…TEQUILA. Ooooh…I totally HAD that! Left over from some boozy watermelon at a picnic this past summer. Add some ginger and lime, and we’re getting somewhere!

Sip?

I decided that, though a cocktail would be pretty and delicious, this particular drink needed to be a bit more seasonal. So I made it into a hot mulled drink. Lime peel and juice, some fresh sliced ginger, a glug of tequila and a little agave nectar for sweetness…not to mention a handful or two of fresh pomegranate arils floated on top for fresh, crunchy pomegranate flavor.

So warming and delicious.

Mulled Pomegranate Cocktail

1. 32 oz. POM Wonderful pomegranate juice
2. 1 oz. fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
3. Peel of 1 lime
4. Juice of 1/2 lime
5. 2 oz. tequila
6. 1-2 oz. agave nectar (sweeten to taste)
7. Fresh pomegranate arils, to garnish

Place the pomegranate juice, ginger, lime peel, lime juice and tequila in a large saucepan and simmer over low heat for about an hour. Sweeten with agave nectar and strain out ginger and lime peel. Garnish servings with arils.

This would be a great alternative to punch at a New Year’s Eve gathering – the ginger makes the whole thing extra warming and together with the lime really packs a zesty punch of flavor. The tequila is understated and could certainly be increased if you wanted a boozier drink.

There are a lot of health benefits to pomegranates and their juice and you can easily reap them and keep warm too with this drink. (What, tequila isn’t a health food? News to me.)