Make Your Own Pomegranate & Mint Infused Rum Recipe

Pomegranate and fresh mint give white rum a fruity, herbal twist for mojitos, daiquiris or a simple drink with club soda and lime. This small batch uses just three ingredients and steeps in the refrigerator. Allow about 3–5 days, checking the flavor along the way so you can remove the mint when it suits your taste.

Ingredients

• 2 cups white rum
• 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (the juicy arils)
• 5 fresh mint leaves

You’ll also need a clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, a fine-mesh strainer and a clean bottle or jar for the finished rum. Choose an infusion jar that comfortably holds the rum and fruit with room to stir.

How to Make Pomegranate and Mint Infused Rum

1. Prepare the fruit and mint. If you’re opening a whole pomegranate, rinse its exterior before cutting it. Separate the juicy arils and remove any pieces of white membrane. Rinse the mint and pat it dry. The FDA recommends washing produce under plain running water, without soap or produce wash.
2. Combine the ingredients. Place the pomegranate arils in the clean jar and press them lightly with the back of a spoon to release some juice. Add the mint leaves and pour in the rum. Stir gently and close the lid.
3. Refrigerate and check the flavor. Plan on approximately 3–5 days of steeping, treating that as a starting range rather than an exact finish time. Begin checking the next day: pour a small sample into a separate glass and taste it. If the mint is already strong enough, remove the leaves with a clean utensil and let the pomegranate continue steeping. Check daily until you’re happy with the balance.
4. Strain. Pour the infusion through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container and discard the fruit and mint. For less sediment, strain it again through a paper coffee filter; this will take longer than using the strainer alone.
5. Bottle and label. Transfer the strained rum to a clean bottle or jar, close tightly and label it with the ingredients and date. Keep it refrigerated.

Adjusting the Flavor

Keep the infusion unsweetened so you can adjust each drink separately. Pomegranate adds fruit flavor, but this recipe doesn’t include the sugar you’d find in a sweetened liqueur. If a cocktail tastes too tart, add a little simple syrup to the glass and taste again.

If the mint tastes stronger than you’d like, strain the infusion and blend a small portion with plain white rum. Try that adjustment in one drink before changing the entire batch.

Ways to Use It

• Mojitos: Substitute it for the plain white rum in your usual recipe. Taste before adding extra mint, since some mint flavor is already in the rum.
• Daiquiris: Use it in place of white rum with fresh lime juice and simple syrup. Adjust the sweetness to suit the fruit’s tartness.
• Rum and soda: Pour over ice, top with club soda and add a squeeze of lime. This is an easy way to taste the infusion without other strong flavors competing.

Storing Your Infused Rum

Keep the strained rum tightly covered in the refrigerator. Refrigeration is also recommended for fresh-fruit and herb infusions in Bon Appétit’s guide to infusing spirits, although that guide uses vodka rather than this particular rum recipe.

Make a small batch for upcoming drinks rather than treating it as a long-term pantry preserve. Adding fresh ingredients changes the contents of the bottle, so don’t assume it has the same storage life as unopened plain rum. Add fresh mint or fruit garnishes to individual glasses when serving, rather than putting them into the storage bottle.