Grenadine syrup

Grenadine syrup is a sweet, scarlet colored syrup made from pomegranate. It has been used to add flavor and color to cocktails and even desserts. Currently, most grenadine syrups contain no pomegranate at all, and instead are made from sugar syrups, fruit flavors and red food coloring. Often found in liquor stores, they sometimes contain alcohol, too. Authentic grenadine syrup made from pomegranates is a great source for potassium.

Thought by many to have originally been concocted on the island of Granada in the Caribbean from pomegranates, the truth is that neither Granada nor the Grenadine Islands even grow pomegranates. The name similarity is just a coincidence of unknown origin. Some say the Spanish named it after the city of Granada, or that the French thought the island was shaped like a pomegranate. We'll never know for certain. The true origins of grenadine syrup are also unknown. Pomegranates, originating in regions around Iran, were cultivated throughout the Mediterranean ,and many of these regions made their own syrup from this sweet and tanic fruit.