The Spruce / Loren Runion
Transform a favorite holiday Champagne cocktail into a pomegranate delight. Elegant and fruity, the pomegranate poinsettia is perfect for entertaining during the holidays.
The recipe is courtesy of Pama, the popular pomegranate liqueur with a deep ruby red color and sweet, alluring taste. It's a slight variation of the well-known poinsettia. The primary differences are that it swaps out the cranberry juice for orange and adds Pama to the mix. It's a delightful switch and both poinsettias are so easy to mix up that you could offer guests their choice from the two cocktails.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce pomegranate liqueur (Pama)
- 1 ounce orange liqueur
- 1 ounce orange juice
- 3 ounces Champagne
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour the pomegranate and orange liqueurs as well as the orange juice.
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Slowly add the Champagne, stirring gently.
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Strain into a Champagne flute.
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Tips
- If you like, you can also simply pour the first three ingredients into the flute, stir, then top with Champagne. That works best if all ingredients are chilled beforehand.
- For the orange liqueur, choose a premium brand that matches the quality of Pama. Any of the main styles will work out just fine, including orange curaçao, triple sec, and brandy-based options like Grand Marnier.
- True French Champagne is not required. Instead, you can use any sparkling wine; Prosecco and Cava are good budget-friendly options.
- Fresh-squeezed orange juice will make a better pomegranate poinsettia. The average orange yields between 2 and 3 ounces of juice, so a single piece of fruit is enough for a few cocktails.
Recipe Variations
- For quick party service, mix equal parts of the first three ingredients in a large batch and store it in a chilled pitcher. When it's time to serve, simply pour from the pitcher and top each glass with Champagne.
- If you want to add a garnish, drop a few pomegranate arils (the seeds) into each glass or drape an elegant orange twist over the rim.
- To knock the cocktail's strength down a notch, pour pomegranate juice rather than the liqueur.
- You can also make a nonalcoholic version of the pomegranate poinsettia for guests who don't drink. Simply skip the orange liqueur, pour pomegranate juice, and switch from wine to sparkling grape juice.
How Strong Is a Pomegranate Poinsettia?
Since the majority of this cocktail is made up of Pama and wine, it's a relatively low-proof drink. When using the average 60 proof orange liqueur, it mixes up to just 13 percent ABV (26 proof). That's a similar alcohol content to wine, so you won't have to worry about guests getting drunk off a glass or two.