Saturday nights, we usually have friends over, and they bring their kids. Especially in the summer, when we’re more apt to make a cocktail, we have started making special drinks for the kids too, who under normal circumstances think of juice as a special treat. One night our friend Steve brought over some grenadine syrup to make Shirley Temples, and as much as I knew that Rose’s Grenadine had ingredients that are normally not allowed in the house (high fructose corn syrup, artificial food coloring), I just rolled with it and figured it was important to break the rules once in a while. Our kids were so in love with us that night, and maybe even better behaved than usual. So the grenadine is staying, even if just for special occasions (but not every Saturday night).

In case you feel inspired to make your own grenadine, and actually, it isn’t that complicated, The Cocktail Chronicles has a good recipe.