Eating seasonally doesn’t just refer to food. The way we drink follows along with the time of year, the weather, and the special reasons to celebrate. This winter, we are stirring up a fresh spin on a gin and tonic cocktail made with a herbaceous sage simple syrup and freshly squeezed tart pomegranate juice.

Plump, juicy, dark red pomegranates are cracked open to press the juice for this melograno gin + tonic . There are many methods to get those beautiful little red aril pearls out of your pomegranate, whether you whack it with a wooden spoon or carefully make incisions with a pairing knife to separate each section of seeds — the most important factor always being the need to keep the red color off of your clothing since it stains very easily. In this case, I split the pomegranates in half and pressed them down on an electric citrus juicer…et voilà! You’ll get as much juice as possible with as little mess as possible.

The word aperitivo can describe the drink itself or the “happy hour” period at the end of a work day and before dinner begins. Wine or beer are not the typical choice for aperitivo’clock but more commonly a liquor-based cocktail like an Aperol spritz or the amaro and gin negroni will be served to awaken your senses and get yourself ready to eat! The pomegranates in this recipe are naturally super-rich in fiber, vitamin c and have a high anti-inflammatory effect. This fruit, and specifically a sexy little cocktail mixed up with the juice, are the perfect fix for the winter blues. With friends coming over this winter, serve up this recipe to buzz up a little extra holiday cheer.