The Perfect Fix for Summer Heat: Refreshing POM-Berry Sparkler

Hope all of you are having a lovely weekend! It's been a really good one around here...Friday night marked a major milestone for me: I entered the world of iPod apps with the purchase of a new 32-gig iPod Touch!! I've been debating iPhone v. iTouch for a few months. I ultimately decided to use my birthday money and go with the Touch and avoid the monthly data plan charge that comes with the iPhone. I'm really loving the Touch so far. I've been having fun learning how it works and buying a few apps. So...what are YOUR favorite food and cooking-related apps? 

The only thing I haven't enjoyed about this weekend has been the brutal heat we're continuing to experience in central Texas. We've been over 100 degrees for the past two weeks, and the heatwave is expected to continue into this week. We try to stay inside in the air conditioning as much as possible, and we've been drinking plenty of cold drinks to try to stay cool. I'm to share my latest creation with you today: POM-Berry Sparkler. This drink is fruity, fizzy, and fun...and full of healthy anti-oxidants to boot!

The nice people at POM Wonderful recently sent me a few bottles of their yummy pomegranate juices to create some fun recipes to share in here. I showed y'all my POM-balsamic vinaigrette a couple of weeks ago, and now I've got a fantastic summer drink to share with you today. It features a Meyer lemon simple syrup, frozen organic berries, two kinds of POM juice, and lemon-flavored seltzer water. Add them all up, and you've got a healthy and yummy way to stay cool! This one is booze-free, so it's family friendly to boot...

Refreshing POM-Berry Sparkler

a Weekend Gourmet original recipe

Step 1:  Make a Meyer lemon simple syrup by combining 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and the juice of a large Meyer lemon. You can use two small regular lemons if you can't find Meyer lemons at your store...they'll be a bit more tart, but should work fine. Combine the ingredients over medium heat, stirring to dissolve. Don't bring to a boil...just cook long enough for the sugar to fully dissolve and a syrup to form.

Step 2:  Add a 10-ounce package of frozen mixed berries to the bottom of a large glass pitcher. I used an organic berry blend that contains blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries. Pour the simple syrup over the frozen berries.  

Step 3:  Add a bottle of POM-blueberry and a bottle of POM-cranberry juice to the pitcher. Stir to combine, then add a 44-ounce bottle of lemon-flavored seltzer (not sweetened). Stir again to combine.

Step 4:  Since this sparkler is such a GORGEOUS deep burgundy-purple, I served it in tall clear glasses to show off how pretty it is! The day before, I made ice cubes out of more of the POM-cranberry juice so the drinks didn't get diluted by melting ice. That's one of my pet peeves...when a drink gets watered down as you drink it. This way, your drink stays cold AND you get the same flavor from the first sip to the last!

This fruit drink is really nice...it's fizzy, fruity, and definitely refreshing on a hot summer afternoon. Each glass also has a bit of the fruit in it, so it's a bit like an alcohol-free sangria. I love a good glass of sangria, but sometimes it's good to have a family-friendly drink in your repertoire that everyone can enjoy! This drink should keep its fizz in the fridge for a day or two. I found myself pouring a small glass throughout the afternoon...it's a great little pick-me-up!

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