Last weekend in San Francisco our good friend (and Julia’s godmother) Marta hosted a dinner party for our friend John (who, actually, introduced Marta to me many years ago). I assisted. Unsurprisingly, I was in charge of cocktails.
Unless there’s a bartender on hand, I almost always make a featured cocktail in quantity and well in advance of party time. Of course, I’ll serve other drinks if people ask, but I find that most guests happily accept the drink of the house. This frees me from being being pinned behind the bar as guests arrive, and, I’d like to think, leaves me more time to engage in witty repartee. In reality, though, it mostly just allows me to focus on getting dinner on the table at a reasonable hour.
This drink went over well. It’s light and refreshing, but still sophisticated enough for adults. The earthy tartness of the real pomegranate juice is brightened with lemon and given a nice refreshing zing with fresh muddled mint. Vodka gives the drink a kick, and a little Cointreau or triple sec reinforces the citrus note while adding a pleasant sweetness. If you have access to sweet, fragrant Meyer lemons, use them. If not, regular lemons will do nicely, but you might have to sweeten the drink a little more to bring its flavors into balance.
Recipe (for two drinks)
Ingredients
1 lemon, preferably Meyer
1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar
1 small bunch fresh mint (at least a dozen leaves)
4 ounces real pomegranate juice (Pom brand is the best, I think)
2-3 ounces vodka
1 ounce Cointreau or triple sec liqueur
Instructions
1. Place the mint and pomegranate juice into a large glass or small bowl. Crush the mint well with a muddler or a wooden spoon.
2. Squeeze in the juice of the lemon. (Don’t worry about the seeds.)
3. Strain the juice mixture into a cocktail shaker.
4. Fill the shaker with ice and add the vodka and Cointreau or triple sec. Shake well and serve in a cocktail glass, garnished with mint leaves or lemon peel.
