Pomegranate Cocktail with Champagne
Raise your glass with this gorgeous pomegranate cocktail made with Champagne, vodka, lime wedges, pomegranate liqueur, and fresh arils
Happy New Year!
Oh my goodness, I can’t believe we’re in 2024! Here’s to a new chapter of positive growth and fulfilled dreams.
The festivities may have ended for New Year’s Eve and Day, but some of us are still in celebration mode! My husband, Tomi and I just got back from a road trip to the Central Coast to ring in the New year with my brother-in-law’s family. Let’s just say there was no shortage of eating and drinking!
We love seeing our little 4-year-old Kai connect with his cousins since they are around the same age. Despite a few tantrums and tears over toys, we all had a fantastic time! Thanks to the festive celebrations, it’s left me with limited time to write my blog, resulting in this cocktail recipe being fashionably late!
Being fashionably late is perfect for this stylish Pomegranate Cocktail. A yummy combination of muddled pomegranate arils, lime wedges, sugar, with pomegranate liqueur, vodka, and topped with Champagne.
Actually, I used sparkling wine. Here’s what happened! Tomi asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year, and I asked for Champagne, just for this cocktail recipe. However, upon seeing the pristine and luxurious white box the Champagne came in, I changed my mind and stored it. ? Don’t judge me, please!
Fortunately, I found some leftover cans of sparkling wine from last year and used them for these Pomegranate Cocktails instead! Luckily, the enthusiastic praises from our guests quickly eased my worries about switching the Champagne ?
Pomegranate Cocktails with Champagne
How do these Pomegranate Cocktails taste like?
These Pomegranate Cocktails are refreshingly sweet and tangy. It has a good hit of alcohol as its Champagne based mixed with vodka and liqueur. It’s also has fruity and citrus flavours with a touch of bitterness from the wine.
How to I cut a pomegranate and remove the arils?
Use a sharp knife to score the skin along the ridges from top to bottom without cutting in too deep. Using your hands, gently break it apart, separating the arils from the pith. Some people prefer to do this in a bowl of water, as it’s less messy.
No fresh pomegranate where you are?
Fresh pomegranate arils are the most delicious and visually appealing. If fresh pomegranate is not available, use for frozen arils. Alternatively, you can substitute them with equal amounts of fresh or frozen raspberries.
Swap the alcohol to suit your taste
If you don’t have pomegranate liqueur, swap it for equal amounts of cherry or raspberry liqueur. Additionally, if you’re not fond of vodka, an alternative option would be to substitute it with gin. If you want a lighter cocktail without too much alcohol, you could swap Champagne / sparkling wine for lemonade or carbonated water.
More simple cocktails to try at home:
Ingredients for Pomegranate Cocktails
Pomegranate arils – Fresh pomegranate arils are better tasting, but frozen ones would work too.
Champagne – If you want to indulge, go for Champagne, but I couldn’t bring myself to, so I settled for sparkling wine. You could also use Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine.
Pomegranate liqueur has a sweet and tart taste, similar to fresh pomegranate juice with subtle flavours of berry and citrus. If you have no pomegranate liqueur on hand, you could swap for equal amounts of cherry or raspberry liqueur.
Vodka – I used Absolut, but you could use your favourite vodka brand such as Smirnoff and Grey Goose. If you’re not a fan of vodka, you could swap it for equal amounts of gin.
Caster sugar (superfine sugar or baker’s sugar) is a type of granulated white sugar that has a very fine texture. Many baking or dessert recipes call for caster sugar as it dissolves faster and better into mixtures. If you can’t find caster sugar, you can make your own by placing regular white sugar in a food processor or blender. Pulse the sugar a few times until it looks finer, but don’t over-blitz it to a powder consistency. Alternatively, you could just use equal amounts of regular white sugar.
How to make Pomegranate Cocktails
Step-by-step guide with photos
To remove pomegranate arils – Use a sharp knife to score the skin along the ridges from top to bottom without cutting in too deep. Using your hands, gently break it apart, separating the arils from the pith. Some people prefer to do this in a bowl of water, as it’s less messy.
In a lowball glass (old-fashioned or rocks glass), muddle the arils, sugar, and lime wedges together until the sugar dissolves. The juice should also be extracted from the lime wedges and arils. This can be done using a muddler or the back of a wooden spoon.
Add the pomegranate liqueur, followed by the vodka. Next, add some ice, then pour in the Champagne or sparkling wine. Garnish with more pomegranate arils and a mint leaf. Before serving, give it a good stir and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is estimated using a third-party calculator and should be used as a guide only.
Australian Measurements
All measurements on this website use Australian standard cups and spoons. For conversion details, see my Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I’d love your feedback!
If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment below; it really supports my blog and helps others find the recipe. Your email address is required to comment (to prevent spam) but will not be published. If you share your dish on Instagram, don’t forget to tag me. I’d love to see it! @3catsfoodie
Cheers – Cat T
Pomegranate Cocktails with Champagne
Video
Ingredients
- 40gm / 1.4oz pomegranate arils (more for garnish) (NOTE 1)
- 1 tsp caster sugar (or regular white sugar) (NOTE 2)
- 2 lime wedges
- 15ml / 0.5floz pomegranate liqueur (NOTE 3)
- 15ml / 0.5floz vodka (NOTE 4)
- ice cubes
- 160ml / 5.5floz Champagne (or sparkling wine) (NOTE 5)
Garnish
- pomegranate arils
- mint leaves
Instructions
- To remove pomegranate arils – Use a sharp knife to score the skin along the ridges from top to bottom without cutting in too deep. Using your hands, gently break it apart, separating the arils from the pith. Some people prefer to do this in a bowl of water, as it's less messy.
- In a lowball glass (old-fashioned or rocks glass), muddle the arils, sugar, and lime wedges together until the sugar dissolves. The juice should also be extracted from the lime wedges and arils. This can be done using a muddler or the back of a wooden spoon.
- Add the pomegranate liqueur, followed by the vodka. Next, add some ice, then pour in the Champagne or sparkling wine. Garnish with more pomegranate arils and a mint leaf. Before serving, give it a good stir and enjoy!
