Herb Infused Cocktail ~ Pomegranate Bliss Martini

    

     Love is in the air, or at least the card and chocolate companies want you to think so. Personally, I feel that love can and should be celebrated all year long.  Afterall, it should not be something you take for granted or celebrate only when the calendar tells you to do so.  Even though that is how I feel I still wanted to create a cocktail this month that brought out the feelings of love.  The only way I knew how to make that happen was with color.  

While pink is not my favorite color, it does demonstrate qualities of love and has people feeling like they are feeling the love, when drinking this delicious mixture.  A simple yet elegant drink with a bit of mint, makes for a wonderful and flavorful drink to enjoy while dining.  The pomegranate really sings in this one, and gives a lovely tart but also sweet finish.  

While this drink is served in a martini glass it holds none of the traditional martini flavors or alcohols in the mix.  It is strictly of its own making.  While made in a shaker cup, you could possibly pour and stir, if that is your preferred way to drink and serve a martini.  Today we are shaking, and then pouring our drink into our preferred glass.  

The glass ware used to serve a martini has become an iconic piece of drink couture, and was originally designed to help keep the contents cold, and away from warm hands.  This elegant v-shaped glass really became all the rage in the mid 1920’s and could be found all over the world, and made more popular with the desire for people to imbibe in gin.  Either way, the v-shaped glass has become known as a martini glass to patrons the world over.

Pomegranate Bliss Martini

¾ ounce Pomegranate Juice

  1 ½ ounces  Vodka

½ ounce Cointreau

½  ounce Fresh lime juice

Mint for garnish

Place mint in the bottom of the shaker cup and muddle.  Add ice and the remaining ingredients.  Shake until the outside of the cup is cold.  Pour into martini glass. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.  If you would like  your drink to be a bit sweeter add in ¼ to ½ ounce simple syrup. 

This drink is so simple to make and great to share with others.  You may be wondering if you can substitute out Cointreau with Grand Marnier, and I would say no, unless you are ready for the color of your drink to change.  Grand Marnier is a darker, more amber colored liquor while the Cointreau is clear.  Let the pomegranate shine in this drink and keep the Grand Marnier for another time.