Pomegranate-Demerara Rum Punch

Sure, none of your guests are going to turn down a flute of Champagne. But there are more intriguing cocktails out there that still glitter with celebratory flavor—without the help of pricy bubbly. Such is the pomegranate-demerara rum punch from Toni Tipton-Martin’s new cocktail book, Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs & Juice, which calls for trios of rum and fresh fruit juice that are sure to win your guests over.

“To make this punch top shelf, I have accented the rum’s deep sugarcane notes with orange and pineapple juices that I press myself in a masticating juicer,” writes Tipton-Martin. Yes, it’ll take you some time (and elbow grease) to make fresh juice, but every drop is well worth the effort.

Same goes for the homemade pomegranate grenadine, which includes pomegranate molasses that you can find online or at a Middle Eastern market. “Teetotalers will like the way this homemade grenadine brightens up sparkling soda or ginger ale when served over ice,” she says.

^{Reprinted with permission from Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs & Juice by Toni Tipton-Martin, copyright © 2023. Photographs by Brittany Conerly. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.}