About this recipe
If you want a drink that looks incredibly fancy but takes exactly zero bartending skills, this easy pomegranate spritz mocktail is it. We don't always want a heavy cocktail for brunch or a lazy Sunday afternoon. Sometimes you just need something cold, bubbly, and a little tart served in a beautiful glass. Pomegranate juice brings a gorgeous ruby color and a sharp bite, while fresh citrus completely balances the sweetness. It is ready in 10 minutes and completely alcohol-free, meaning you can easily pour a round for everyone at the party without a second thought.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
It has all the visual appeal of a fancy craft cocktail without any of the morning-after headache.
You can easily scale the juice base up to make a massive pitcher for a crowd in about five minutes.
Ingredients
Pomegranate spritz mocktail
- 1 cup pomegranate juice (chilled)
- 1/2 cup orange juice (chilled)
- 2 tbsp lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 tbsp simple syrup or honey syrup (optional, adjust to taste)
- 1 1/2 cups sparkling water or club soda (chilled)
- 2 cups ice
Garnish
- 2 slices orange (or blood orange)
- 2 wedges lime
- 2 sprigs fresh mint
- 2 tbsp pomegranate arils (optional)
Ingredient Notes
Pomegranate juice
Make sure you grab 100% pure pomegranate juice, not a sugary pomegranate cocktail blend. The pure stuff has that necessary tart bite.
Sparkling water
Any unflavored sparkling water, seltzer, or club soda works great. Just make absolutely sure it is ice-cold before you pour.
Equipment
measuring cups or jigger
citrus juicer
stirring spoon
small pitcher
Instructions
Mix the juices
In a small pitcher or liquid measuring cup, stir together the chilled pomegranate juice, orange juice, lime juice, and simple syrup if you are using it. Giving this a good stir now ensures the syrup dissolves completely before it hits the cold ice.
Fill the glasses
Grab two large wine glasses or heavy tumblers and pack them completely full with ice. Tuck your orange slices, lime wedges, fresh mint sprigs, and a handful of pomegranate arils right down into the ice so they look pretty from the outside.
Pour the base
Divide the mixed pomegranate juice evenly between the two glasses. Pour it right over the ice and garnishes to help chill the juice even further.
Add bubbles
Top each glass all the way to the brim with your chilled sparkling water or club soda. Pour the bubbly water slowly down the inside of the glass so you don't lose all the carbonation before you even take a sip.
Stir and serve
Give everything one gentle lift with a long spoon to mix the heavy juice at the bottom with the fizzy water on top. Serve these right away while they are aggressively bubbly and ice-cold.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Adding bubbles too early
If you add the sparkling water in the main pitcher instead of directly in the individual glasses, the drink will go completely flat before you even serve it.
Tips
- Keep all your liquids in the fridge until the exact moment you mix the drinks. Warm juice will melt your ice immediately and water down the mocktail.
- Slap the mint leaves gently against your palm before garnishing to release the essential oils and make the drink smell amazing.
Variations
Ginger spice
Swap the sparkling water for a spicy ginger beer to give the drink a totally different, warm holiday kick.
Substitutions
- If you don't have pomegranate juice, pure unsweetened cranberry juice makes a fantastic tart replacement.
- Swap the regular orange juice for fresh grapefruit juice if you prefer a sharper, slightly bitter spritz.
What to Serve With It
Serve this alongside a weekend brunch spread or with salty appetizers before dinner to balance the sweetness.
Make Ahead
Pre-mix the juices
You can mix the pomegranate, orange, and lime juices together up to 3 days in advance. Keep the batch in a sealed jar in the fridge and just top with bubbles when you are ready to drink.
Storage
Refrigerator
The mixed juice base (without the bubbles) will keep perfectly in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Leftovers
Once you add the sparkling water, you really need to drink it immediately. It will go flat in the fridge overnight, so don't try to save a finished glass for tomorrow.
Recipe Notes
Depending on the brand of pomegranate juice and the sweetness of your oranges, you might not even need the simple syrup. Always taste your juice mixture before deciding to sweeten it.
Nutrition
- Serving Size
- 1 drink
- Calories
- 105
- Protein
- 1g
- Carbohydrates
- 26g
- Fat
- 0g
- Fiber
- 1g
- Sugar
- 22g
- Sodium
- 20mg
FAQ
Can I make these pomegranate spritz mocktails ahead of time?
You can definitely mix all the juices together ahead of time! Just hold off on adding the ice and sparkling water until the exact second you are handing the glass to your guest.
Can I make this mocktail less sweet?
For sure. Just skip the simple syrup completely. If you use 100% pure pomegranate juice, it naturally leans fairly tart anyway.
What kind of glass is best for a spritz?
I love using a giant, oversized wine glass (like a balloon glass) because it holds a ton of ice and garnishes, but a standard tall highball glass works just fine.
Recipe Card
Easy Pomegranate Spritz Mocktail
A bubbly alcohol-free pomegranate spritz with citrus, mint, ice, and a bright ruby color.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 10 min
- Servings
- 2
- Category
- Drink Recipes
- Cuisine
- American
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Cost
- Budget-friendly
Ingredients
Pomegranate spritz mocktail
- 1 cup pomegranate juice (chilled)
- 1/2 cup orange juice (chilled)
- 2 tbsp lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 tbsp simple syrup or honey syrup (optional, adjust to taste)
- 1 1/2 cups sparkling water or club soda (chilled)
- 2 cups ice
Garnish
- 2 slices orange (or blood orange)
- 2 wedges lime
- 2 sprigs fresh mint
- 2 tbsp pomegranate arils (optional)
Instructions
- Mix the juices: In a small pitcher or liquid measuring cup, stir together the chilled pomegranate juice, orange juice, lime juice, and simple syrup if you are using it. Giving this a good stir now ensures the syrup dissolves completely before it hits the cold ice.
- Fill the glasses: Grab two large wine glasses or heavy tumblers and pack them completely full with ice. Tuck your orange slices, lime wedges, fresh mint sprigs, and a handful of pomegranate arils right down into the ice so they look pretty from the outside.
- Pour the base: Divide the mixed pomegranate juice evenly between the two glasses. Pour it right over the ice and garnishes to help chill the juice even further.
- Add bubbles: Top each glass all the way to the brim with your chilled sparkling water or club soda. Pour the bubbly water slowly down the inside of the glass so you don't lose all the carbonation before you even take a sip.
- Stir and serve: Give everything one gentle lift with a long spoon to mix the heavy juice at the bottom with the fizzy water on top. Serve these right away while they are aggressively bubbly and ice-cold.
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