Of all of the cocktail elements on the earth, humble grenadine might be the one all of us bear in mind encountering first, sipping on the stuff as youngsters both within the basic Shirley Temple… or the extra decadent Roy Rogers.
Grenadine was initially a roughly 50/50 mixture of pomegranate juice and sugar syrup — and you’ll simply make your personal thusly if in case you have a bottle of Pom useful — however that old-school recipe has pale. Whereas some manufacturers use pomegranate of their recipe, you’re prone to discover different fruits — or no fruit in any respect — within the combine.
That stated, like most cocktail elements, at the moment’s grenadine has been reborn due to craft mixer producers, a lot of whom are utilizing actual fruit (usually pomegranate) and cane sugar to raise a product that has usually been seen as little greater than a simple means for making a cocktail flip crimson.
That stated, the old-fashioned stuff continues to be round, and it’s simply as electric-red as ever. Is artisan grenadine any higher than the mass-produced grenadine of yore — and is it value the additional money? We rounded up six varieties working the gamut from small-batch to industrial-batch to seek out out.
Right here’s a have a look at the massive six we tried — all unadulterated and straight from the bottle — ranked from greatest to worst.
Up to date in 2026 with the addition of Cocktail & Sons.
Liber & Co. Actual Grenadine – Pomegranate juice, pure cane sugar, and orange blossom water: Probably the most iconic recipe for grenadine seems a wealthy, deep crimson product that exudes darkish fruit akin to blackberry and currant, however with extra acidity. Intensely fruity, it’s bought a stunning cocoa and vanilla word that surprises on the again finish. A / $10 per 280ml bottle [BUY IT NOW]
Cocktail & Sons Berry Grenadine – This one’s uncommon as a result of it contains strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries along with the extra conventional pomegranate, hibiscus, and orange peel (plus sugar). Sweeter and fewer tart than many grenadines, the fruit salad character works amazingly effectively, with strawberry notes including a confectionary high quality to the in any other case vibrant pomegranate. The orange peel is clearer than the basic orange blossom water, too, including further nuance. A stunning deep crimson colour solely enhances what creates solely a barely completely different however wholly on level tasting expertise. A / $17 per 237ml bottle
Barsmith Grenadine – That is simply cane sugar syrup with unspecified pure flavors and vegetable-based (pure) coloring. It’s low-cost stuff, positive, however a bit elevated. This light-pink grenadine is a stark distinction to Liber’s deep purple operator. Calmly pink and vibrant with strawberry and cherry notes, it tastes rather more summery and fewer brooding than Liber’s providing. Gently natural, it additionally finds a pleasant vanilla word on the end. It might not have the authenticity of the higher-end grenadines on this roundup, however tastes nice, and for this value it’s simply the perfect you are able to do. A- / $5 per 375ml bottle [BUY IT NOW]
BG Reynolds Lush Grenadine – Pomegranate juice, pure cane sugar, and dried hibiscus. Deep maroon like Liber’s, with a tropical word maybe from the hibiscus flowers. There’s a lot of currants and blackberry right here, nearly overwhelmingly so. Caramel on the end. Fairly costly. B+ / $17 per 375ml bottle [BUY IT NOW]
Repair Tart Cherry Grenadine – Constructed from tart cherries and cane sugar. That is the least “grenadine-like” grenadine we tried, particularly as a result of it’s actually simply sweetened cherry juice. It seems to be the half, with a brick crimson, nearly brown colour that may be a little bit off-putting. No shock on the palate right here. Repair tastes identical to mashed up Maraska cherries, which might be fantastic in a On line casino however maybe a bit a lot for a Tequila Dawn. B / $10 per 237ml bottle
Rose’s Grenadine – The old-school, cherry-red standby is excessive fructose corn syrup with pure and synthetic flavors and colours. Surprisingly, it was the least viscous of the bunch and was surprisingly gentle in taste, with predominant notes of cherry, cotton sweet, and spiced apples. Fairly innocent however clearly greatest used for youths’ cocktails — and really low-cost. B- / $4 per 355ml bottle [BUY IT NOW]
Torani Grenadine – Pure cane sugar, pure flavors, and synthetic colour. This vibrant crimson syrup pours on a lot sugar that nearly nothing else is obvious, till the off-putting, cough syrupy-medicinal end. When you use it, be sure you dial down some other sweeteners accordingly. C- / $7 per 750ml bottle [BUY IT NOW]
So there you could have it: Liber & Co’s Actual Grenadine is the clear winner, with Cocktail & Sons in a detailed second, and if you would like one thing extra reasonably priced, Barsmith Grenadine gained’t allow you to down. That stated, in distinction to our expertise reviewing banana liqueurs, when utilized in small doses in a cocktail you aren’t prone to discover a lot influence from one model to the subsequent. Whereas Liber and Barsmith style fairly completely different when sipped solo, after I used them in in any other case an identical renditions of a Hurricane (our recipe beneath) I may inform no distinction by any means within the completed product.
Hurricane
2 oz gentle rum
2 oz darkish rum
1 oz lime juice
1 oz orange juice
1/2 oz ardour fruit syrup (I used Monin, out there on Amazon)
1/2 oz easy syrup
1 tsp grenadine
Shake all elements with ice. Pressure right into a tall glass or, in fact, a Hurricane glass full of recent ice. (Or a giant plastic cup if you happen to’re in New Orleans.) Garnish with an orange slice and a Maraska cherry.
