The Festive & Refreshing Pomegranate Punch You Need to Make This Holiday Season

I love a good eggnog as much as the next gal, but if you want to make something memorable amidst the onslaught of typical holiday flavors, sometimes it pays to back off the baking spices and use what’s actually in season. So, let’s talk pomegranates and one of my favorite winter weapons: homemade grenadine.

Making fresh grenadine is the best way to get a highly seasonal burst of tangy, floral pomegranate flavor, and color into your cocktail without a ton of work. If you read my post on Pink Lady Cocktails, you know that I feel almost duty-bound to show people how easy it is to make homemade grenadine whenever pomegranates are in season. [Spoiler alert: you literally just combine equal parts pomegranate juice and sugar in a blender].

Grenadine drinks are wonderfully bright, slightly tart and floral. They run the gamut of pale pinks and deep plummy reds thanks to the rich purple hue from the fresh pomegranate. This punch is incredibly refreshing – a welcome respite from heavier winter fare and the perfect way to set the tone for a holiday gathering.

I’m obsessed with serving it in this footed punch bowl from Fortessa; its' tall configuration (as opposed to more typical low, wide punch bowls) really shows off the drink’s lovely, rosy hue.

I added a floral crown to my punch bowl because a little extra festive flair never hurt anyone. I’m sure there are more involved ways of doing this, but I just wrapped the rim of the punch bowl with floral wire and taped it into place, then tucked the stems under the wire.

One small bunch of seeded eucalyptus was all I needed to ring my entire bowl, along with a few stems of inexpensive spray flowers. I got both at Trader Joe’s, and the entire crown cost under $7 to make. I even had leftover flowers, which are now brightening up my bathroom.

I like to garnish with extra pomegranate arils – the pops of bright red really set off the punch’s pale pink, and make a bolder holiday statement.