I love when pomegranates are in season.  They are so beautiful on the inside and out! From the seeds to the juice I love everything about these winter gems.  In the past I have purchased pomegranate juice but for this cocktail I used fresh squeezed juice.  The grocery store has ben carrying pomegrantes for 99 cents each so I had to get a couple to experiment with.  I recently have been obsessed with sours and feel that they are a easy comfort drink that can be made at home.  The addition of the egg white really makes the cocktail special and elevates your normal go to at home beverage.  Any spirit can be made into a sour and the egg white has really become less intimidating to me.  Make your holidays festive and make this Vanilla and Pomegranate Vodka Sour! 

Recipe: Vanilla and Pomegranate Vodka Sour

Ingredients

• 1.5 ounces of Van Gogh Pomegranate Vodka
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste simple syrup (See recipe below)
• 1 ounce of pomegranate juiced, squeezed out of a fresh pomegranate
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1 egg white
• ½ cup of ice
• Garnish: Pomegranate seeds

Instructions:

• In a cocktail shaker combine vodka, vanilla bean syrup, lemon juice, pomegranate juice, and egg white
• Shake until foamy then add ice and shake until chilled
• Strain mixture into glass
• Garnish with a pomegranate seeds and use some drops of the pomegranate juice to make a cool design
• Yields: 1 serving

Vanilla Bean Paste Simple Syrup

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup Turbinado sugar
• ½ cup Boiling water
• 1 tablespoon of Vanilla Bean Paste

PREPARATION:

• Combine the sugar and boiling water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add and stir in vanilla bean paste and steep in hot simple syrup for 20 minutes. Strain into a clean jar, cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks.