The Sugar Plum Cocktail

This Sugar Plum Cocktail with gin, grapefruit juice, and a pomegranate reduction is perfect for all of your upcoming holiday festivities. 

With its gorgeous color and sweet/tart flavor, this cocktail goes perfectly with your favorite appetizer, such as a crostini with goat cheese, honey, and pomegranate arils. 

I first tried this cocktail at the Long Beach airport. It's a fabulous airport, and the restaurants in the airport are all little outposts of a few of the signature restaurants in Long Beach. Plus the food and cocktail offerings are really nice. 

Later, I discovered the same cocktail in a cookbook by Nancy Silverton with recipes from her Los Angeles-based Italian restaurant, Mozza. 

It was meant to be! This cocktail, with the pomegranate reduction, is perfect for the season, just like this Apple Brown Derby Cocktail and Satan's Whiskers Cocktail. I recommend serving all three at your fall or winter-themed party. 

Ingredients in the Sugar Plum Cocktail:

Pomegranate Reduction: Preferably homemade. 

Gin. 

Grapefruit Juice. 

How to make the pomegranate reduction: 

Boil 1/4 cup of pomegranate juice with 1/4 cup sugar until it is syrupy. Each cocktail only requires 1 1/2 teaspoons of the reduction, so this recipe is enough for about 8 cocktails. You can keep any leftovers in the refrigerator for about a week. 

The Sugar Plum Cocktail recipe variations: 

This cocktail can be served straight up in a chilled cocktail glass or on the rocks. You can also substitute vodka for the gin (but why?). 

I prefer the homemade syrup because you can control the ratio and concentration of the pomegranate flavor. You can try substituting good quality store bought pomegranate syrup or molasses, but be sure to check the ingredient list. 

I don't think it's any secret that I am a big fan of Nancy Silverton. Her book, Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery: Recipes for the Connoisseur is a bread head's inspiration. In 2011, she published The Mozza Cookbook: Recipes from Los Angeles's Favorite Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria. Of course I "needed" it. 

While looking through the book for appetizer ideas for our family's Italian themed Christmas Eve dinner, I discovered the cocktail section of the book. There are five, all really interesting sounding. She prefaces these recipes with a discussion of the Italian preference for only a few options for the pre-dinner hour, usually a glass of Prosecco. She describes her cocktails as "conceived in an Italian spirit and executed in an American one." 

Serendipitously, I had all of the ingredients for the one I most wanted to try. It's totally my new favorite cocktail. The book also has some simple and delicious appetizer recipes that pair wonderfully with this cocktail, including olives al forno, toasted almonds with sea salt, and prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks. Of course, the pizzas and focaccias are amazing. 

Holiday Cocktails:

This week, the Sunday Funday group is sharing recipes for holiday cocktails! I can't wait to give each one a try. 

• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Gingerbread Mule 
• Mayuri's Jikoni: Homemade Pear Cider 
• Sneha's Recip: Homemade Rice Wine 
• Food Lust People Love: Spiced Hot Toddies 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: The Sugar Plum Cocktail 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Winter White Cosmopolitan

The Sugar Plum Cocktail

Yield: 1 cocktail

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 15 MinTotal time: 15 Min

This Sugar Plum Cocktail with gin, grapefruit juice, and a pomegranate reduction is perfect for all of your upcoming holiday festivities.

Ingredients

For the Pomegranate Syrup

• (Makes enough for eight cocktails. Can be stored in the refrigerator up to one week.)
• 1/4 C pomegranate juice (like Pom)
• 1/4 C sugar

For One Cocktail

• 2 ounces gin
• 1 ounce grapefruit juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pomegranate syrup/reduction

Instructions

To Make the Pomegranate Syrup

1. Bring the ingredients to a boil and reduce to a simmer until the mixture thickens into a thin syrup. Cool before using.

To Make the Cocktail

1. Chill a martini glass.
2. Place all of the ingredients into an ice filled shaker and shake until thoroughly chilled. The shaker should be nice and icy on the outside.
3. Strain the ingredients into the chilled glass.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

172

Fat (grams)

0 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

0 g

Carbs (grams)

11 g

Fiber (grams)

0 g

Net carbs

11 g

Sugar (grams)

11 g

Protein (grams)

0 g

Cholesterol (grams)

0 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2019/10/the-sugar-plum-cocktail.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

pomegranate, gin

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