Pomegranate and Elderflower Soft Drink

Pomegranate Syrup Recipe

Ingredients (make about 200g)

4 pomegranates (or 200g pomegranate juice)

100g caster sugar

1. Juice your pomegranates if you have decided to make it yourself (rather than store bought juice). It can be a bit tedious and if you have a garden, I would recommend to do it there (and do not wear white or pale clothes that you love a lot...). There are many ways to do it and they can all be found around this vast world that is the internet. 

I decided to cut my pomegranates in halves and squeeze them over a bowl to get the juices out. I scooped the remaining seeds with a spoon and discarded the white membrane. Then, I used my fingers to squeeze the little seeds in the bowl to extract the juices left. It was actually pretty relaxing (less so for the white kitchen walls). You should end up with about 200g of juice.

Obviously, if you have a juicer (lucky you!), use it instead! Your kitchen walls will be forever grateful (little note: my kitchen walls were actually not that bad).

2. Put the pomegranate juice and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir well. Bring to the boil then reduce down to the lowest heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir the syrup every 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let it cool down completely.

If you juiced the pomegranates yourself, put a muslin cloth (or cheesecloth) in a sieve and strain the syrup into a small bowl.

Keep the syrup in a sterilised jar in the fridge for a week or two.

Pomegranate and Elderflower Soft Drink Recipe

Ingredients (make about 1L)

50ml pomegranate syrup

50ml elderflower cordial

1L sparkling water (or soda water)

Put the pomegranate syrup and elderflower cordial in a large carafe. Pour in the sparkling mineral water and stir well.

Serve straight away with a few ice cubes or keep in your fridge before serving. Use within a day.

You can add some pomegranate seeds, a few small berries or slices of lemon to your drink.