This pomegranate brown derby cocktail combines whiskey and grapefruit, with a splash of pomegranate juice for a tart twist on a classic. It’s my favorite cocktail in autumn and winter!

Pomegranate Brown Derby | Serendipity by Sara Lynn
Pomegranate Brown Derby

My favorite bar in Reno is one of the first bars I ever (legally 😬) went to.  It’s dark and moody with an entire wall of crystal bottles filled with amber liquids.  The bartenders wear vests, there’s a pool table in the corner, and it always smells like smokey whiskey.  I have many favorite nights from this bar laughing way too loud with my friends, drinking one too many drinks, and then doing it all again the next weekend.  I would say this happens less often now that I’m not in college, although it is still my favorite place to grab a drink after dinner on the weekend.

The first time I went there was my 21st birthday.  It was a Monday, already pretty late at night, and considering this is not a college bar, we had the whole place to ourselves.  I remember the bartender’s name was Charlie, and upon hearing that it was my 21st (and that I am obsessed with coffee), he pulled a dark bottle down from the shelf.  It was a coffee-flavored liqueur, similar to Kahlua, but much better.  We took a shot together, and then I continued to play pool with my friend.  (Side note: It was my first time playing pool, and even though my friend still hasn’t admitted it, I know he let me win).

Pomegranate Brown Derby | Serendipity by Sara Lynn
Brown Derby with Pomegranate

Over the years, I have gone to this bar time and time again, and I still think they have some of the best whiskey cocktails.  Their old-fashioned is one of my all-time favorite drinks.  But, one night in college, probably while wearing a LBD and some T-strap heels, I was not in the mood for an old-fashioned.  I asked the bartender to make me a drink with whiskey.  Any drink he wanted to make.  I watched this tattooed, vest-sporting bartender with a mustache make a tiny orange-ish pink drink.  He slid it across the bar, “Brown derby”.

And then my life changed, because never had I known that grapefruit + whiskey is the best thing ever.  It has become my signature drink.

Pomegranate Brown Derby

As much as I love going out, I don’t always feel like putting on pants (yay adult life).  So, I decided to learn how to make a delicious brown derby cocktail just like my favorite bar.  Because I wanted a pink drink, I added some tart pomegranate juice, and wowww.  Grapefruit and pomegranate belong together.  It has my favorite cozy autumn flavors I crave while still being refreshing.  I’m going to bottle some up and bring it to allllll the parties.

On a side note, what are you being for Halloween?  I thought about making Marc a hanging chad costume and breaking out my inner slutty pumpkin again, but idk.  (Any How I Met Your Mother fans, or did that just go over everyone’s head??)  It’s much more likely that I’ll revert to my usual Rosie the Riveter or go for a costume that I already have easily laying around my house.  Any ideas?  What should I beeeee?!

Brown Derby Cocktail

A side image of a couple glass with a pink cocktail on a white table surrounded by pomegranate arils.
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Pomegranate Brown Derby Cocktail

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
This Brown Derby cocktail combines whiskey and grapefruit, with a splash of pomegranate, for a tart twist on a classic. It’s one of my all-time favorite cocktails, especially around autumn and winter!

Ingredients

  • 2 oz bourbon
  • 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice
  • .5 oz pomegranate juice
  • .5 oz simple syrup
  • Grapefruit twist + pomegranate arils, for garnish

Instructions 

  • In a cocktail shaker, combine the bourbon, grapefruit juice, pomegranate juice, and simple syrup. Add ice, and shake for about 20-30 seconds, until the cocktail shaker is frosty. Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a grapefruit twist and pomegranate arils.

Notes

For a classic Brown Derby, use grapefruit juice in place of pomegranate juice.
Cuisine: American
Course: Drinks
Serving: 1cocktail, Calories: 195kcal, Carbohydrates: 16.5g, Protein: 0.2g, Sodium: 11mg, Potassium: 87mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 4g, Calcium: 8mg
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xo Sara Lynn

*Song of the day: Inside Out by Spoon