This is a light, refreshing cooler that can be served on any occasion. Pomegranates are coveted in the Middle East for their taste, beauty, and nutritional properties. Traditional Arabian poetry often described the cheeks or lips of a loved one as being pomegranate colored. Pomegranate juice has been proved to help prevent cardiovascular disease. Claudio Napoli, medical professor at the University of Naples, Italy, says, “We have established the polyphenols (antioxidant chemicals) and other natural compounds contained in pomegranate juice may retard artherogenesis (the hardening of the arteries).”

Ingredients:

1 bottle sparkling water, chilled
1/2 cup sugar-free pomegranate juice
3/4 cup strawberry syrup (found in Middle Eastern markets)
4 to 6 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
Preparation:

Mix sparkling water, pomegranate juice, strawberry syrup, and sugar together in a pitcher with a wooden spoon. Taste and adjust sugar, if necessary. Divide strawberries and place inside champagne flutes. Pour juice over the raspberries in each flute. Serve immediately.