grenadine syrup was originally a pomegranate syrup employed by French apothecaries to hide the taste of medicines, but by the turn of the nineteenth century, the limonadiers of Paris (who prepared the fancy drinks in that city) knew of it. It quickly became popular throughout France, and in Le confiseur moderne (1803), confectioner J.-J. Machet relates that “in Languedoc [pomegranate juice] is made into a syrup or a kind of lemonade by mixing sugar therein; it is considered cordial and astringent, and it is drunk with pleasure.”
On October 5, 1869, Victor Rillet, a recent French immigrant, obtained a patent for the first grenadine syrup produced in the United States. Rillet used real pomegranates, pressed and fermented, with a few natural additives. In May 1870, Rillet advertised for “active, pushing young men, of good address, to sell Grenadine Syrup … far superior to any other summer beverage known.” Rillet’s product immediately drew competitors, many of whom used artificial ingredients. By July 1891, the Druggist’s Circular complained of “vile imitation,” and recipes from the late nineteenth century rarely contain any pomegranate.
After Repeal, commercial grenadine in the United States was an imitation, much to the displeasure of American gourmets, who had been enjoying the genuine product in the American bars of Paris. In June 1936, New York Sun drinks columnist G. Selmer Fougner wrote of “innumerable products masquerading under that name,” and claimed that all reputable French producers used real pomegranate juice. This took some decades to sink in, but today, both pomegranate-based and artificial variants are widely available, and making one’s own grenadine is a minor rite of passage for the aspiring mixologist. See Fougner, G. Selmer.
Grenadine syrup was used in mixed drinks as early as November 1894, when a recipe for a “Grenadine Fiz” appeared in newsprint, and the next year, George Kapeller’s Modern American Drinks claimed that a Grenadine Cocktail is any cocktail that used it. But Grenadine’s real popularity as an ingredient began by 1905, with the rise to popularity of the Jack Rose Cocktail. By 1907, when the Royal Smile was first formulated at the Waldorf Astoria, grenadine syrup was an established mixer. See Jack Rose. It has been used since as a combination sweetener and coloring agent, lending such drinks as the Bacardi Cocktail, the Tequila Sunrise, and the nonalcoholic Shirley Temple their characteristic rosy hues. See Tequila Sunrise.
Fougner, G. Selmer. “Along the Wine Trail.” New York Sun, June 26, 1936, 14.
By: Doug Stailey