Grenadine comes from the pomegranate, not the cherry.
Despite its deep crimson color, grenadine is made from the juice of the pomegranate, a fruit with abundant seeds, not from cherries.
When you're a child, anything sweet and red seems to taste like cherry. Adults learn that candies have flavors distinct from what their color suggests. But grenadine, the key ingredient that transforms lemon-lime soda into a Shirley Temple, seems to persist as the most misidentified flavor. Despite the visual similarity to the crimson liquid inside maraschino cherries, grenadine is derived from pomegranates. Regardless of whether the final product tastes predominantly red, if you can detect any hue in a typical bottle of grenadine, you're recognizing the juice of this seed-rich fruit.
Some of the most popular, mass-produced grenadines contain no fruit at all, being merely sweeteners to enhance the color. However, higher-quality commercial varieties go back to basics with concentrated pomegranate juice. You can easily make a homemade batch on your own stovetop. Start with small amounts: dissolve one cup of granulated sugar in half a cup of pomegranate juice over low heat, stirring as needed. Let it cool, pour it into a glass jar or bottle, and refrigerate for up to one month.
Once you have your authentic grenadine ready, you can add a special touch to your Shirleys, prepare a classic hurricane, and add that essential sunny tang to your tequila sunrise. It's also incredibly versatile for enhancing your mocktails or livening up a bottle of sparkling water.