Today is Winter Solstice which means that we have officially transitioned from fall into winter season.  The very first night of winter is said to be the longest night of the year. Iranians refer to this particular evening as the Shabeh Yalda and celebrate it by gathering with family and friends.

As any other Persian celebration there are certain foods that are associated with tonight’s festivities. Pomegranate and watermelon are two fruits traditionally consumed on Shabeh Yalda. This year I bring these two fruits to you in the form of a delicious juice!  The best thing about this specific juice is that it can be served as is or spiked up!

I like juicing my own watermelon and pomegranate juice. To speed up the process you can purchase the pomegranate juice, however, finding watermelon juice to purchase is difficult. My favorite ratio for this drink was about half and half of each juice. I hope you’ll enjoy this drink as much as I have!

Ingredients (serves 6)

3 cups watermelon juice
3 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup pomegranate arils
6 watermelon wedges
mint

Juice watermelon with a juicer.  Remove the foam that settles on top of the juice. It also helps to strain the juice. Place in a bottle and set aside.

Juice pomegranate.

This drink can be premixed or poured as needed. For each serving add 1/2 cup of pomegranate juice to followed by 1/2 cup of watermelon juice. Mix well. Add pomegranate arils on top along with mint. The place a watermelon wedge on the side of the cup.

As mentioned above this drink can be served as is or spiked up. Iranians love vodka which added to this juice will certainly kick it up a notch!

Wishing you all a joyous and warm Shabeh Yalda!

*Post includes Amazon Affiliates links.