8 Grenadine Cocktails Worth Sipping

Grenadine isn’t a liquor and yet it’s a key cocktail ingredient. Check out eight grenadine cocktail recipes that feature the ruby-red syrup and see which one will be your favorite.

Dirty Shirley Cocktail with Black Background

You’ve probably tasted grenadine – after all, its a key ingredient in several popular cocktails and mocktails. Perhaps you’ve bought a bottle at your local liquor store. Or, if you’re an over-achiever, maybe you whipped up a batch at home.

Either way, if you’re like most people, you don’t truly understand grenadine. Maybe you assume it’s a liquor or perhaps you think it’s a berry beverage. Spoiler alert – it’s neither.

Read on to find out what grenadine actually is and learn how to craft our favorite grenadine cocktails. But first, get in the grenadine mood by checking out this Grateful Dead song about brown eyed women and red grenadine.

Table of Contents

What Is Grenadine?

Pouring Grenadine for Clover Club Cocktail — This **Clover Club** was the first cocktail we crafted with grenadine but it certainly wasn’t the last.

Essentially, grenadine is a non-alcoholic syrup that’s notable for both its deep red color and its sweet yet tart flavor. Grenadine’s zero ABV should be no surprise if you drank Shirley Temples or Roy Rogers’ when you were a kid. And, while grenadine is traditionally made with pomegranates, it can be made with other fruit too.

While grenadine cocktail syrup is relatively easy to make at home with just three ingredients (pomegranate juice, sugar and orange flower water), it’s even easier to buy a bottle of pre-made grenadine. Just be careful and read labels when you buy bottled grenadine.

Brands like Rose’s produce grenadine syrup with corn syrup as well as artificial colors and flavors. We prefer Monin grenadine since it’s made with actual fruit and other natural ingredients.

Grenadine Cocktails

Straining Mary Pickford Cocktail — We always keep grenadine on hand since it’s a key ingredient in cocktails like the **Mary Pickford**.

Grenadine cocktails run the gamut and span the globe. Some are classic while others are modern. Typically in colors like pink and ruby red, their liquors include gin, rum, tequila and vodka.

Despite this diversity, the best grenadine cocktails have one important similarity. They taste as good as they look.

These are our favorites:

8 Of The Best Grenadine Cocktails

Tequila Sunrise

Our Tequila Sunrise recipe is so easy to craft that you'll be sipping your tasty tequila tipple in just a few minutes. In other words, it's not just another Tequila Sunrise recipe. It's a keeper.

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Mary Pickford

Inspired by one of Hollywood's top actresses during Prohibition, the Mary Pickford cocktail is a tasty tipple that has passed the test of time. It's also easy to craft with just a handful of ingredients.

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Dirty Shirley

The Dirty Shirley isn't just a grown up version of the popular Shirley Temple drink. It's also a refreshing cocktail that's super easy to craft at home in just five minutes.

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Hurricane

Drinking a Hurricane cocktail at Pat O'Brien's is a rite of passage for first-time visitors to New Orleans. However, you can craft a better version of the fruity cocktail at home no matter where you live.

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Pink Lady

The Pink Lady cocktail proves that you shouldn't judge a drink by its color. Despite its 'girly' hue, this pink drink is a sophisticated sipper that's more dry than sweet. Try our easy recipe and make the classic cocktail at home in just five minutes.

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Tomate

This easy Tomate cocktail recipe has just has four ingredients including water and ice. Though you'll be tempted to drink this refreshing drink on a hot summer day, it's also the perfect color to serve at a Christmas party or other festive event.

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Clover Club

This Clover Club cocktail is simultaneously sweet and tart. Learn how to make this frothy pre-prohibition cocktail at home in just five minutes.

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Ward 8

The Ward 8 cocktail isn't as famous as its cousin, the Whiskey Sour, but it should be. Simultaneously sweet and spicy, this pre-prohibition potent potable is as easy to sip as it is to craft.

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Grenadine FAQs

What is grenadine?

Grenadine is a non-alcoholic syrup used to craft popular cocktails like the Hurricane and the Tequila Sunrise. It’s notable for both its deep red color and its sweet yet tart flavor. Traditionally made with pomegranate, grenadine can also be made with other fruits.

What kind of alcohol is grenadine?

Grenadine isn’t an alcohol. Instead, it’s a non-alcoholic syrup that’s used to craft a number of popular cocktails and mocktails.

What’s the most popular grenadine cocktail?

The Tequila Sunrise is the most popular grenadine cocktail. Its other ingredients include tequila and orange juice.

What’s the most popular grenadine mocktail.

The Shirley Temple is the most popular grenadine mocktail. Its other ingredients include ginger ale and lemon-lime soda.

Thirsty For More Cocktails?

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About The Authors

Daryl & Mindi Hirsch

Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on their website 2foodtrippers. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers a unique taste of the world.

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Article Updates
We update our articles regularly. Some updates are major while others are minor link changes and spelling corrections. Let us know if you see anything that needs to be updated in these article.

Funding
We purchased the ingredients and tools used to craft these cocktails.

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Original Publication Date: July 8, 2023