Gin in the Morning

I swear I do not have a drinking problem.
Just because this cocktail was made at 10:30 in the morning, does not mean that I am an alcoholic. The only reason this drink was made so early is because there is good lighting at 10 in the morning.
You might say, well, why don’t you wait until three o’clock in the afternoon? The lighting is still good then, and at least it’s the afternoon, a more reasonable time of the day to start drinking.
My answer to that sensible question is that at 3 o’clock today, I am going to be in my car driving. Would you rather that I drink this cocktail while I am driving?
No, I didn’t think so.

So. Then we have established that drinking at home in the morning is better than drinking on the road in the afternoon. Now that you are convinced that it’s okay to make a drink at 10:30 in the morning, let’s talk about the drink itself, instead of my drinking problem (which doesn’t exist, I swear).
In my mind, this cocktail was going to be ruby red, shimmering in the candlelight as I handed glasses to my guests as they walked in the door last night. In real life, however, the drink turned out light brown and shimmering in florescent light, because when my guests arrived, I was still cooking the soup and we ended up chatting under the stove light instead of by candlelight.
Big whoop. The drink might not have looked the way I hoped it would, but it tasted better than I ever imagined! Besides, pomegranates are so trendy these days- everyone expects a pomegranate drink to be red. So predictable! When a drink is supposed to be red, but it turns out brown, it keeps people thinking. But not thinking hard enough that they won’t sip it delightfully and exclaim how deliciously sweet and and tangy and bubbly it is.

Now, the question is, am I going to drink this cocktail when I am finished taking photos of it?
You bet I am. There’s actually not any gin in this one. I finished the bottle last night. Oops. Maybe I do have a problem.

Bubbly Pomegranate and Gin Cocktail - Delicious!
-adapted from various recipes on the internets

You can adjust the proportions to your taste. I ended up squeezing the lime garnish into the drink to make it a little less sweet.
2 parts jin*
1 part lime juice
1 part simple syrup
1/2 part pomegranate molasses (I found this in the baking aisle at Whole Foods...cheaper than pomegranate juice, and a little goes a long way)
2 sprigs of mint (bruised or torn into small pieces)
Club soda or seltzer water

In a shaker or with a stirrer, mix the first five ingredients with ice.
Pour into a glass that is filled with ice. Top with club soda.
Garnish with lime and mint.

*I misspelled gin on purpose so you would think I already had a few this morning. Gotcha.

bubbles!