POM Wonderful

[beans]

Hi Ludja, I've enjoyed your posts.

And here's my take on sangrita (roughly a little blood).

Yes, it's a chaser for tequila.  And since tequila has only risen to respectability in Mexico in the last couple of decades, the chasers are in rapid evolution.  It's now common before the big midday meal at 3 to have a tequila and chaser.  There are nifty little wrought iron holders for a shot of tequila and a shot of chaser.

There are various on the market of varying degrees of niceness and nastiness.  Usually they are named after some fictitious widow (viuda sanchez we have in the fridge right now though that's not to say I recommend it).

As the name suggests, sangrita has to be red.  Sometimes they are just bloody mary take offs with tomato juice, orange juice and chile.

The better ones (I think) are pomegranate juice, maybe orange juice and a puree of chile anchos.  But this is a topic I have wanted to pursue for ages.

So more fairly soon, though this may take a while.

Rachel

Hi Caroline,

Thank you, and thanks for the information on sangrita!

Please do start another thread on this! (I was thinking about it after I asked the question, but you would be a much better person to start it off). Maybe under the 'Beverages and Libations' forum?

I have always been intrigued by sangrita. I've had the orange, chile, tomato version in LA once, read a little about it in one of Zarela Martinez's books and would love to learn more about it.

The pomegranate version you mention with ancho chile puree sounds very interesting!

Thanks again.

Here's a Sangrita Recipe.

POM is turning up in all sorts of lovely cocktails -- pomegranate martinis, daiquiris and yummy margaritas. Very quickly too!

Edited January 17, 2004 by beans (log)

[ludja]

Hi Ludja, I've enjoyed your posts.

And here's my take on sangrita (roughly a little blood).

Yes, it's a chaser for tequila.  And since tequila has only risen to respectability in Mexico in the last couple of decades, the chasers are in rapid evolution.  It's now common before the big midday meal at 3 to have a tequila and chaser.  There are nifty little wrought iron holders for a shot of tequila and a shot of chaser.

There are various on the market of varying degrees of niceness and nastiness.  Usually they are named after some fictitious widow (viuda sanchez we have in the fridge right now though that's not to say I recommend it).

As the name suggests, sangrita has to be red.  Sometimes they are just bloody mary take offs with tomato juice, orange juice and chile.

The better ones (I think) are pomegranate juice, maybe orange juice and a puree of chile anchos.  But this is a topic I have wanted to pursue for ages.

So more fairly soon, though this may take a while.

Rachel

Hi Caroline,

Thank you, and thanks for the information on sangrita!

Please do start another thread on this! (I was thinking about it after I asked the question, but you would be a much better person to start it off). Maybe under the 'Beverages and Libations' forum?

I have always been intrigued by sangrita. I've had the orange, chile, tomato version in LA once, read a little about it in one of Zarela Martinez's books and would love to learn more about it.

The pomegranate version you mention with ancho chile puree sounds very interesting!

Thanks again.

Here's a Sangrita Recipe.

POM is turning up in all sorts of lovely cocktails -- pomegranate martinis, daiquiris and yummy margaritas. Very quickly too!

thanks for the sangrita recipe; POM cocktails sound very good too. I think I might like it better than cranberry-type drinks...

[caroline]

My goodness, I'm no expert on Mexican chasers. My impression is that sangrita was created when tequila became respectable as an alternative to margaritas, perceived as gringo. But that could be quite wrong.

Sangritas always seem to be red, slightly sweet, slightly hot. Mot I suspect come from the bottles.

The predominant tradition seems to be orange or pomegranate juice with chiles: the secondary tomato juice version which has a more furry texture.

I'll ask around. But I'll be traveling for the next ten weeks so information may be slow trickling in.

Rachel

[alacarte]

The Wall Street Journal discovers POM

Hang out in bars these days and you might find yourself musing on how drink trends just seem to arise out of nowhere. Pomegranate cocktails, for example, from crimson cosmos to magenta margaritas, suddenly abound. The story begins in the late 1990s, when Los Angeles-based company Pom Wonderful nearly doubled the nation's pomegranate acreage. Last year, it managed to get pomegranate juice into supermarkets around the country. Then it hired a celebrity bartender to create the Pomtini cocktail and began promoting it. The news reports touting pomegranates as unusually high in antioxidants? The company sponsored that research, too.

The article mentions "The Crimson Cosmo" at Luna Park San Francisco (vodka, Cointreau, and POM); "The Pommie Margarita" at Range Restaurant in Aspen (tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and pomegranate syrup); and the "Pomegranate Mojito" at 40 Sardines Park in Overland Park, KS (crushed mint, sugar, lime juice, pomegranate seeds, Bacardi Limon, pomegranate juice, soda water).

[JennotJenn]

I'm going to bring up something that has yet to be discussed in this thread:

I've drunk pomegranate juice on and off for years. I forget the brand name, but there's an organic pomegranate juice that's available in various health food stores in New York. Is POM Wonderful superior to organic pomegranate juices that have been sold for many years, and if so, how?

Yes. It's much better than either kind I can get on the shelves, which are lakeview and Knudson, both 100% pom. This tastes much nicer, much cleaner somehow. I personally find the other two to be a bit yicky, but maybe it's just me. Anyway, the POM cherry is like liquid crack, and if you boil it down far enough, it makes a kickass sauce for duck (as someone mentioned upthread about the regular POM). I rarely buy it because it's expensive (I pay $3.99 for 16oz) and I tend to only drink non-caloric bevvies, but after Lent I'll have to give it a go as a mixer.

[Sandra Levine]

Pomegranate molasses, which is concentrated pomegranate juice and molasses-like only in consistency is readily available at low cost in middle Eastern and some gourmet groceries stores. Would it be possible to dilute the syrup to the consistency of juice? If so, with one bottle, you'd have two ingredients -- the molasses and the juice. I would try this myself, but I've never had POM and don't know if I've achieved the desired result.

[Jason Perlow]

I've been drinking this POM stuff a lot lately -- my standard evening refresher is equal parts POM and seltzer, or POM and ginger ale.

Yesterday I bought some of the Trader Joes unrefrigerated jarred pomegranate juice made from pomegranate juice concentrate and spring water -- I havent tried any of it yet, but it was roughly half the price of the POM stuff.

[JennotJenn]

Pomegranate molasses, which is concentrated pomegranate juice and molasses-like only in consistency is readily available at low cost in middle Eastern and some gourmet groceries stores. Would it be possible to dilute the syrup to the consistency of juice? If so, with one bottle, you'd have two ingredients -- the molasses and the juice. I would try this myself, but I've never had POM and don't know if I've achieved the desired result.

I don't think that would work very well. If I understand correctly, the juice that is used to make the molasses is of a tarter variety of pomegranite grown primarily in the Middle East, as opposed to the type grown in North America. Even if it weren't, I'm sot sure it would be a good idea....

[zilla369]

I noticed POM was prominently featured on "Queer Eye" tonight!

[Jason Perlow]

By the way, I like the Trader Joes stuff a lot, but its "murkier" than the POM stuff -- its not filtered and it may be even a little more tart than POM. However, for the price, you can't beat it -- and I like the fact that it is shelf stable. Goes great with seltzer or ginger ale.

[sara]

I've used POM in margaritas, along with some lime juice--that's nice. I also used it in a pork-chop marinade--that wasn't so good, the taste just didn't take.

[Toliver]

I had to bump this back up.

Since the POM seems strong-flavored to me so I've started mixing it with Crystal Light Lemonade and, wow, it's a good blend!

I've only tried the POM Blueberry so far. I fill the glass with ice, pour in the POM to about 1/4th to a 1/3rd of the glass (not more than that) and then fill the rest of the glass with the lemonade. Surprisingly, the blueberry taste is right up front even though it's the minority pour, so to speak. It's very refreshing in the heat of summer.

[viva]

I enjoy a bit of regular pomegranate POM with club soda, or for something sweeter a little lemon-lime soda.

I love the ideas for pomegranate margaritas and mojitos on the previous page...

[divalasvegas]

I enjoy a bit of regular pomegranate POM with club soda, or for something sweeter a little lemon-lime soda.

I love the ideas for pomegranate margaritas and mojitos on the previous page...

←

Are fresh pomegranates a fall crop in the U.S.? I remember loving them as a kid, but haven't had a fresh one for a long time. Someone upthread mentioned juicing them and making a mess, but a few years ago I recall watching a Martha Stewart show where she used a citrus juicer like the one below to juice the pomegranate, which she blended with fresh--what other kind would Martha use--orange juice. Not messy at all, didn't spill a drop, at least when she did it. Of course, it was Martha Stewart, afterall.

Link to Manual Citrus Juicer at Cooking.com

[BlahFace]

I am thinking of growing a pomegranate tree in my backyard. any suggestions?

has anyone done this before and had any problems? I'm concerned about the freshness of the fruit, bugs, etc.

[zilla369]

More info on the health benefits of pomegranate here

[sazji]

Juicing them yourself - I was just going to write in and suggest this and saw that someone else just had. There's nothing like it fresh squeezed. Here pomegranates are dirt cheap (eat your hearts out), as in about 75 cents a kilo. I buy them and juice them all the time. If you buy the kind of juicer shown in the picture above, make sure you get one just like that - where the part you put the fruit on is attached to the column of the juicer. some just have a base, where you put a cup and strainer that fits onto it; and a press from above. These can't handle pomegranates, the base will crack where the column enters it.

My favorite is equal parts pomegranate and orange juice mixed. Heavenly.

You *can't* use the regular rotating reamer type juicers on pomegranates as the membranes and "base" are astringent and bitter; you don't want to be disturbing these or you will hardly be able to drink your juice.

As long as you live where Pomegrantes are hardy and you have a good long hot summer, you should have no problem growing them. Definitely a worthwhile tree, and the flowers are beautiful as well, brilliant scarlet. Here pomegranates are very highly esteemed. There is even a song, one verse of which is:

In this world, there are three things to eat

One is the quince

One is the apple

And then there's the pomegranate

You take the quince

Give the apple to another

I'll take the pomegranate!

[racheld]

We keep a pretty bottle of POM in the fridge almost all the time. It makes a lovely addition to almost all clear beverages, even my "sissy" amaretto and Sprite combination, which is my sipper of choice when others are having cocktails.

We have mimosas on Chris' birthday brunch every year, and last year I had the pitcher of OJ all ready, stirred in about a cup of POM, set the pitcher in the fridge, and when all were gathered, whisked out the frosty pitcher of ruby goodness to find a blurky purple concoction, as though milk had been added to Welch's grape. It was certainly not the pretty mixture I had intended, but it still tasted delightful, with or without the champagne.

Anybody else seen any unseemly changes in color? Maybe you just shouldn't mix it too long before serving?

[Tess]

I actually prefer Knudsen's concentrate to Pom Wonderful for most uses. It's especially good for adding to champagne and cocktails; it doesn't affect the fizz and the volume as much.

[elixirofthetropics]

I had POM Wonderful several months ago. My first and last time of drinking it. The taste was very good, but I found it bitter (high tannins possibly).

Edited March 7, 2006 by elixirofthetropics (log)

[Carolyn Tillie]

I had POM Wonderful several months ago.  My first and last time of drinking it.  The taste was very good, but I found it bitter (high tannins possibly).

←

Tannins do not necessarily mean bitter -- think over-brewed tea; THAT is tannin (it makes your mouth feel dry).

While I do not drink POM straight, I have it in the house almost all the time now as a GREAT mixer for cocktails (working well with both Gin and Vodka) as well as weekend mimosas and just sparkling water.

[KatieLoeb]

I had POM Wonderful several months ago.  My first and last time of drinking it.  The taste was very good, but I found it bitter (high tannins possibly).

←

Tannins do not necessarily mean bitter -- think over-brewed tea; THAT is tannin (it makes your mouth feel dry).

While I do not drink POM straight, I have it in the house almost all the time now as a GREAT mixer for cocktails (working well with both Gin and Vodka) as well as weekend mimosas and just sparkling water.

←

A splash of POM instead of cranberry in a cosmo is quite lovely....

[Gigi4808]

If you've not tried it salmon marinaded in Pom-mango is excellient.

[natasha1270]

Picked up something new from Pom last week:

Pomegranate Lychee Green Tea

I know, I know... I am a marketing sucker but I really liked it. Light, refreshing and the flavors had a pretty good balance. I also have a Pomegranate Blackberry Black Tea in the fridge waiting for me. They were a bit pricey (I may have blocked it out but it may have been $3+) but the tumbler is pretty nice.

enjoy!

N.

[elixirofthetropics]

I had POM Wonderful several months ago.  My first and last time of drinking it.  The taste was very good, but I found it bitter (high tannins possibly).

←

Tannins do not necessarily mean bitter -- think over-brewed tea; THAT is tannin (it makes your mouth feel dry).

While I do not drink POM straight, I have it in the house almost all the time now as a GREAT mixer for cocktails (working well with both Gin and Vodka) as well as weekend mimosas and just sparkling water.

←

It was also dry.