Juicing a Pomegranate / Pom Martini & Spritzer

If you've ever had a pomegranate, you know how delicious they are.  The jewel of fall, shiny red on the outside and full of healthy juice you can use to make nourishing smoothies and spritzers or mix in a little vodka to make a martini for the ages.  We are lucky enough to have a pomegranate tree on the slope behind our house.  And this year, due to the two months of 90+ degree weather, our little tree gave us a bountiful harvest.

Pomegranates with their pointed sepals and leathery rinds may seem tough to eat but crack one open and you will find the interior contains sweet, tart clusters of delicate ruby red or fuchsia pink juice sacs, technically called arils or pips depending on region, separated by thin white membranes there to protect the pips. Historically pomegranates are Persian in origin and these thirst quenching fruits were often carried on desert caravans because of their durability and high liquid yield. 

Poms adapt to a cool winter, hot summer environment and have a lengthy storage life...up to 7 months in the refrigerator.  They are also bursting with nutrition.  Not only are they a good source of fiber, they are laden with Vitamin C, B-Complex and various other antioxidants.

If you are at all familiar with this fruit you know that eating one can be a huge mess.  This is usually done outside and wearing old clothes. However, with this easy method, you can juice your pomegranates without redecorating your kitchen!

Juicing a Pomegranate

You will need a chef's knife, large mixing bowl, slotted spoon, ziplock bag, rolling pin, strainer and container for the juice.


Using the knife, halve pomegranate and break into chunks. 

Fill the bowl with water and gently dislodge pips under the water.  The white membrane will float the the surface and the pips will sink to the bottom.

Once you've unseated all the arils, use a slotted spoon to remove and discard the white pieces of membrane then scoop the fruit into a ziplock bag.  Squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible.  Time to roll.

Using a rolling pin, roll back and forth over the bag.  When you start to get a lot of juice, strain to your container and go back to rolling until you have burst all the pips.

Each pomegranate should yield about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of juice.

Pomegranate Martini

4 ounces pomegranate juice
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce Cointreau or Triple Sec
Juice of half a lime
Lime wheel, wedge or curl for garnish

 Shake it up, strain to a fancy glass.  Makes 1 extra large martini or 2 small ones.

Pomegranate Spritzer

 Mix ice, pom juice and club soda or sparkling water.  Garnish with a lemon or lime!