For thousands of years, cultures across the world have imbued the pomegranate with rich symbolic meaning. From Ancient Greece to the Persians, this spectacular scarlet fruit and its hidden jewel-like seeds have come to represent fertility and abundance. Indeed, the Goddess of Love herself - Aphrodite, or Venus in Ancient Roman myths - was said to have planted the first pomegranate tree!

These days, pomegranates continue to be enjoyed as a symbol of love, as well as for their gorgeous, juicy fruit and sweet, tart juice, across the world. This February, we are celebrating the month of love with our most romantic Gin of the Month box ever! So what could be a more fitting cocktail for our Gin of the Month - the delicious GŴYR Rhamanta Gin - than a pomegranate-based one?

This simple - but incredibly tasty - cocktail uses pomegranate juice to complement the botanicals in the GŴYR Rhamanta Gin and create a delicious new twist on one of our favourite cocktails, the Negroni. Here’s to the fruit of love!

Pomegranate Negroni

50ml GŴYR Rhamanta Gin
50ml Campari or Antica Formula*
50ml pomegranate juice**
Orange peel twist and/or fresh pomegranate seeds, to garnish

Add ice to a mixing jug or tumbler. Add the gin, campari (or Antica Formula) and pomegranate juice, and stir slowly until the drink is chilled and ever so slightly diluted. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice, garnish with a twist of orange and/or fresh pomegranate seeds, and serve.

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*Antica Formula is a sweet vermouth. Choose this instead of Campari if you prefer the sweet, rich flavours of vermouth instead of the more bitter notes of Campari. Alternatively, try a little of each for a more authentic Negroni base, and top up with pomegranate juice according to taste!

**Pomegranates are available in the shops from around October to February in the UK, but seeds and cartons of juice can be bought in most supermarkets and online year-round.

If, however, you’d like to use fresh seeds and juice, roll the pomegranate on a hard surface to loosen the seeds, then cut the fruit in half. Squeeze the contents into a sieve with a bowl underneath and push the juice through with a wooden spoon. Remaining seeds can be scooped out with a spoon. Avoid using any of the bitter white flesh. You might need more than one pomegranate to get 50ml juice.

If you are using pared orange peel for your garnish, make sure you get rid of any of the bitter white pith before adding it to your drink. You can also rub the orange peel around the rim of your glass before serving to enhance the lovely citrus notes of your drink.