A FESTIVE twist on a classic mojito complete with pomegranate juice and pom arils while retaining plenty of fresh mint and of course the rum!! Fast, easy, SO TASTY, and perfect for holiday entertaining!!
1cupfresh mint leaveslarge stems removed; loosely packed plus extra for garnishing
¼cupgranulated sugar
1cuppomegranate seedsarils, divided
½cuplemon juicedivided
2cupspomegranate juice
1cupsparkling water
½cupwhite rumor to taste
Iceas necessary
Lemon slicesfor garnishing
Instructions
To a large pitcher, add the 1 cup mint leaves, sugar, and muddle. To do this, I suggest the blunt end of a wooden spoon. If you have a pestle from a mortar and pestle set, that also works. Just be careful not to crack your pitcher if it’s glass! Don't use excessive force or you can cause the mint to oxidize prematurely.
Add half the pom arils, half the lemon juice, and muddle again.
Add the remaining pom arils, remaining lemon juice, pom juice, sparking water, rum, and stir to combine, making sure the sugar is dissolved.
To individual serving glasses, add a few additional mint leaves, ice*, pour from the pitcher, garnish with lemon slices, and serve immediately. Punch** is best made immediately before you plan to serve it so the mint doesn't oxidize and the sparking water doesn't go flat.
Notes
*I recommend only adding the ice to individual glasses and not to the pitcher because it could water down the punch. Starting with very COLD liquid ingredients is highly recommended. ** Punch is intended for those for whom alcohol is legal and appropriate however see blog post for how to make this non-alcoholic.