We spend every New Year’s Eve at my friend Tara’s house. The kids all run around in the rec room, and the adults have fun upstairs watching the broadcast from Times Square while we eat a dozen different appetizers. Besides bringing food, I also volunteered to bring a drink. I wanted to find something that could work for adults and kids – basically, a virgin drink you could add booze to as-needed. I wasn’t sure what I was going to make, so I wandered throught the booze and drink aisle at Target until I came across sparkling pomegranate juice. Perfect inspiration!
You need:
Sparkling pomegranate juice, or pomegranate soda
Raspberry lemonade
Champagne (I suggest a brut)
Mint leaves
Fruit (I used blackberries and pomegranate arils, aka pomegranate seeds)
This is so easy to make – just combine equal parts of all the liquids. To make a boozy pitcher, you’ll need three cups of each ingredient. Start by putting some fresh mint leaves in the bottom of the pitcher. Next, pour in raspberry lemonade, then add the sparkling pomegranate juice, then the champagne. You don’t need to stir, the drink mixes itself thanks to the carbonation!
To serve, drop some fruit into the glass, then pour the Pomegranate Mint Fizz. Top with a fresh mint leaf. The carbonation in the drink made the pomegranate arils bounce up and down in the glass – perfect if you’re planning to enjoy this drink as the ball drops! I have to say, I am not a huge fan of mint in my food or drinks, but this really works. It just makes the drink a bit crisper.
At the party, I plan on filling my pitcher with the non-alcoholic version of this. Basically, 4 cups of raspberry lemonade and 4 cups of sparkling pomegranate juice. This way the kids have access to the drink, and when the adults want a booze-filled version, I’ll fill the glass 2/3 full with the juice mix and then top it off with champagne straight out of the bottle. Yum.
Annabel was my official taste tester for the non-alcoholic version and she said it is “sooo yummy delicious.” She also loved watching the pomegranate arils bounce up and down in her glass. Fun for hours, I’m telling ya.
I hope everyone has a wonderful new year! Have fun tonight and be safe!
Jordan says:
I’m not much of an alcohol drinker, but i’m mostly thankful for this post for introducing me to the fact that SPARKLING POMEGRANATE JUICE IS A THING. Omg. This may have made my whole day/night (insomnia probs). Pomegranate juice is my fave! I may have to invest in champagne to try this one… thanks Heather, and happy 2015 to y’all!
samatwitch says:
Nappy New Year to the Spohr family. May 2015 be filled with much love, health and happiness.
tania says:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! That drink looks incredible!!
Toni says:
Yummy! I will have to try this one. Happy New Year!
Kirsty says:
That cocktail looks and sounds delicious, but I strongly suspect that “sparkling pomegranate juice” (and even “raspberry lemonade”, for that matter) will be impossible to find here in the south of France. You guys in the States have NO idea how many things just cannot be found outside of the US…
Anyway.
It’s almost midnight here and I’m all alone with my two cats (both asleep – such party animals!), so no cocktails anyway. I’m seriously considering going to bed now to be honest…
Here’s to hoping that 2015 is a better year (for those of us that had a craptastic 2014) and just a generally good year for us all!
HNY Spohr family!
Bisous du sud de la France !