Winter Pomegranate Punch — A FESTIVE twist on a classic mojito complete with pomegranate juice and pom arils while retaining plenty of fresh mint and of course the rum!! Fast, easy, SO TASTY, and perfect for holiday entertaining!!
Pomegranate Rum Punch Recipe
Welcome to the holiday season with this twist on a classic mojito. You’ll still have plenty of fresh mint flavor, but with the addition of pomegranate juice, lemon juice instead of lime juice, and sparkling water rather than club soda.
The combination is quite literally minty fresh, fruity, but not too sweet.
Not to mention it looks so festive but it’s such a fast and easy holiday punch to make!
Ingredients in Pomegranate Punch
For this holiday-inspired winter punch, you’ll need:
- Fresh mint leaves
- Granulated sugar
- Pomegranate seeds (arils)
- Lemon juice
- Pomegranate juice
- Sparkling water
- White rum
- Ice
- Lemon slices, for garnishing
How to Make an Alcoholic Pomegranate Punch
Step 1: Muddle the mint and sugar. Simply combine mint leaves with sugar and muddle. To do this, I suggest the blunt end of a wooden spoon. If you have a pestle from a mortar and pestle set, that also works. Just be careful not to crack your pitcher if it’s glass!
I like to muddle the ingredients in a pitcher to save time and energy from trying to transfer it from a bowl into a pitcher. However, you can do it in a bowl if that’s easier.
When muddling, use enough pressure to release the natural oils from the mint leaves but it really doesn’t take too much force to do this.
Step 2: Add the lemon juice and pomegranate arils. Add half the lemon juice and half the pomegranate arils and muddle again.
Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients. Top off the muddled mixture with the remaining ingredients including the rest of the lemon juice, the pom arils, pomegranate juice, sparkling water, and of course, the rum.
Step 4: Stir. Stir to make sure the sugar is dissolved.
Step 5: Garnish and serve. Before serving, add a few mint leaves to each individual glass, add ice to the glass, pour from the pitcher, garnish with lemon slices, and enjoy!
Can This Recipe Be Made Non-Alcoholic?
You can keep this punch non-alcoholic by increasing the quantity of pomegranate juice and/or the sparkling water or seltzer water or club soda.
Recipe Variations to Try
- Sparkling water: you could also use seltzer water or stick with the more traditional club soda.
- Pomegranate juice: you can get away with using cranberry juice instead.
- Making it more boozy: use 3/4 or 1 cup rum rather than 1/2 cup. You know your guests and the group you’re making this for! Ahem.
Tips for Making Pomegranate Rum Punch
Start with all the liquid ingredients very well-chilled. I don’t recommend adding ice to the actual pitcher. Add ice to the individual glasses before serving.
When you’re muddling the mint leaves, take it easy. They will break up quite easily and using excessive force can cause the delicate mint leaves to oxidize (turn black) around the edges and not look as pretty.
I used classic white Bacardi rum but if you have another white rum you prefer or have on hand, go for it. I wouldn’t recommend a dark or spiced rum for my taste palate personally but if you’re feeling adventurous you could try.
For me, this makes four large-ish rocks-glass size servings. If you want to make a single serving, you would quarter the recipe. It would probably be easier to halve the recipe and make two servings, but suit yourself on that one.
Enjoy!
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Pomegranate Punch
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, large stems removed; loosely packed plus extra for garnishing
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds, arils, divided
- ½ cup lemon juice, divided
- 2 cups pomegranate juice
- 1 cup sparkling water
- ½ cup white rum, or to taste
- Ice, as necessary
- Lemon slices, for garnishing
Instructions
- To a large pitcher, add the 1 cup mint leaves, sugar, and muddle. To do this, I suggest the blunt end of a wooden spoon. If you have a pestle from a mortar and pestle set, that also works. Just be careful not to crack your pitcher if it’s glass! Don't use excessive force or you can cause the mint to oxidize prematurely.
- Add half the pom arils, half the lemon juice, and muddle again.
- Add the remaining pom arils, remaining lemon juice, pom juice, sparking water, rum, and stir to combine, making sure the sugar is dissolved.
- To individual serving glasses, add a few additional mint leaves, ice*, pour from the pitcher, garnish with lemon slices, and serve immediately. Punch** is best made immediately before you plan to serve it so the mint doesn't oxidize and the sparking water doesn't go flat.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Winter Cocktail Recipes:
Pomegranate Mojito – Everyone will love this fruity twist on a classic mojito recipe! The tart pomegranates and lime blend beautifully and are paired with simple syrup, mint, and white rum for a refreshing cocktail that’s perfect all year long!
Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria — Apples, oranges, pomegranate seeds, and cinnamon sticks with sparkling cider are a FUN twist on classic sangria!! So easy! Make it for your next party and everyone will want a refill!!
Manhattan Cocktail — This classic bourbon cocktail is made with vermouth, Angostura bitters, and orange peel for a sophisticated and easy drink everyone should know how to make!
Santa’s Magic Potion (aka Eggnog Cocktail) — Not sure what to mix with eggnog? Baileys, of course! This creamy eggnog cocktail mixes the two to create a holiday drink you’ll love!
Salty Dog Cocktail — A cousin to a greyhound, this bright, refreshing drink is made with vodka (or gin), grapefruit juice, and a sea-salted rim!!
Homemade Baileys Irish Cream— Homemade Baileys Irish Cream comes together 1 minute, with ingredients you likely already have on hand. Rich, creamy, and the flavor is a dead ringer for store-bought!
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In Dominican they made a drink called the Dirty Monkey it was a very nice drink alot people ordered it but dont have the recipe would you have a idea how to make?
I am not sure and some of those drinks with clever names like that can change a alot from bar to bar but I would Google it and see if anything pops up that looks familiar.