Spiced Pomegranate Cardamom Mocktail Recipe

Ingredients

For the Syrup

• 1 navel orange, trimmed
• 4 teaspoons green cardamom pods (about 30 pods)
• 1/3 cup (4 ounces) honey
• 3 tablespoons water
• Pinch kosher salt

For the Mocktails

• Ice
• 3/4 cup pomegranate juice (such as Pom)
• 1 (12-ounce) can club soda (1 1/2 cups)
• ¼ cup fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)
• Orange wheels from the navel orange for garnish

Instructions

1. Use a vegetable peeler to remove 1 long strip of orange zest, leaving behind as much of the white pith as possible. Add the strip to a small saucepan and set aside. Slice 2 wheels from the orange and slice each in half down the middle. Reserve for garnish. Juice the remainder of the orange until you have 3 tablespoons of juice and add to the pan with the zest.
2. Lightly crush the cardamom pods using a heavy-bottomed saucepan, mortar and pestle, or the back of a chef’s knife. Add the crushed pods to the saucepan, along with the honey, water, and a pinch of kosher salt.
3. Set the saucepan over medium heat and stir to combine all ingredients. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a low simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature and let it steep for 30 minutes. During this time, the syrup will thicken more and the flavors will intensify.
5. Pour the syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing the pods and zest with the back of a spoon to extract maximum flavor. Discard the solids. You’ll have about 1/2 cup of syrup.
6. Fill 4 rocks glasses with ice. Divide the honey-cardamom syrup evenly between the glasses (about 2 tablespoons per glass). Add 3 tablespoons of pomegranate juice to each glass and top with club soda (about 1/4 cup per glass). Stir thoroughly to combine. Garnish each glass with an orange slice and 1 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds, if using.

Notes

• If making a batch of 4 mocktails to drink later, combine all of the syrup (about ½ cup) with 3/4 cup pomegranate juice in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 7 to 10 days. When serving, add ¼ cup of the mixture to each glass with ice, top with club soda, and garnish.
• Use fresh pomegranate juice for the best flavor, but bottled can be used as an alternative.
• Adjust the honey amount in the syrup to taste if you prefer it sweeter or less sweet.
• Make sure to lightly crush the cardamom pods to release their flavor without overpowering the syrup.
• For a sparkling touch, use chilled club soda.