When I first went to make this cocktail, I fully intended on making the infamous, Jack Rose Cocktail. When I first moved into my apartment in Charlotte, my mom bought me Jack Rudy’s grenadine and Laird’s AppleJack and insisted we make Jack Rose cocktails. I had plenty of limes on hand and the result was a smooth cocktail that we both enjoyed. But this time, I decided to do a twist on that and make an AppleJack cocktail with homemade grenadine.

I went to Whole Foods over the weekend and the oranges were plentiful and looked so good that I decided to bring a bunch home with me, however, I completely forgot to pick up limes. I decided to do the Jack Rose cocktail but instead of lime juice, use orange juice instead. And, instead of paying 16 dollars for a bottle of grenadine, I would make my own to really take the cocktail to the next step.

Making grenadine isn’t really as daunting as it may sound. It’s essentially simple syrup but instead of water, we’re using pomegranate juice. Adjust the sugar quantities as you see fit, but I like this ratio, it’s the perfect balance of tart and sweet for me.

AppleJack Cocktail with Homemade Grenadine

For the grenadine:

1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
3/4 cup sugar

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the pomegranate juice and sugar. Continue cooking and stirring until the mixture comes to a boil. As soon as it starts to bubble, take off the heat and cool. Transfer to an airtight container. Grenadine will keep in the fridge for up to a month.

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour in 2 oz AppleJack, 1 oz freshly squeezed orange juice, and 1/2 oz of homemade grenadine. Shake well and strain into martini glass. Serve chilled.