Fresh Cherry Bourbon Cocktail

Fresh cherry bourbon cocktail is just as delicious as it sounds! With fresh, sweet cherries, a subtle smokiness from the bourbon, with a clean vanilla aftertaste. These summery cocktails are simple to prepare!

Summers mean backyard patios and if there's one thing I know about patios it's that they are always made better by a summery cocktail. Our favorites include peach raspberry bellinis, spicy mango margaritas, and strawberry rhubarb rose sangria!

If you're seeing a trend here, it's not just you. We love love LOVE adding fresh fruit to our summer cocktails, and why not? Tis the season for all the fresh fruit!

These fresh cherry bourbon cocktails are even easier than most of our cocktail recipes: you don't need a blender or pre-frozen fruit. All you need is a muddler (a wooden spoon will do), and six simple ingredients.

Ingredients you'll need

• fresh cherries- ½ a cup per cocktail, with the pits removed. I invested in this cherry pitter recently and LOVE it. You can also swap frozen pitted cherries, but must thaw first.
• bourbon- I absolutely do not consider myself a bourbon connoisseur, so please let me refer you to this article written by people who know a thing or two about it
• superfine sugar- this is granulated sugar that has been finely ground to help it dissolve in liquid. In Canada, it comes labelled 'berry sugar'. You can swap this out for maple syrup (which by the way would pair awesomely with the cherries + bourbon
• vanilla extract- gives this cocktail a fresh and smooth aftertaste. So good!
• lemon juice- a hint of acidity to balance all the flavors out and keep this from tasting overly sweet
• soda water- to give a fresh fizzy vibe to this cocktail. Optional- taste first without and decide if you want to add it.

Making the cocktail

I love love love how simple this cocktail is to prepare. Simply add the cherries, vanilla extract, bourbon, sugar and lemon juice in the bottom of your glass.

Using a muddler like this, mash up the cherries with all the ingredients. You want the cherries to break open and release their juices, and the superfine sugar to dissolve into the liquid. Add ice cubes and top with soda water if desired.

Note- if you don't have a muddler, simply use the handle of a wooden spoon.

This cocktail is sweet, fizzy, warm, smoky, and totally refreshing.

I love that it's easy to make a single cocktail, or a whole bunch.

Happy sipping, friends!

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Fresh Cherry Bourbon Cocktail

5 from 4 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 5 minutes mins

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Fresh cherry bourbon cocktail is just as delicious as it sounds! With fresh, sweet cherries, a subtle smokiness from the bourbon, with a clean vanilla aftertaste. These summery cocktails are simple to prepare!

1

Ingredients

For one drink

• ▢ ½ cup fresh cherries (pitted; see note*)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1.5 oz one shot bourbon
• ▢ 3 teaspoons superfine sugar (see note**)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ▢ ice cubes
• ▢ soda water (¼ cup or so)

Instructions 

• In the bottom of a glass, combine the cherries, vanilla extract, bourbon, sugar and lemon juice. Muddle together until cherries are broken and juices are released (you can use the back of a wooden spoon if you don't have a muddler).
• Top with ice cubes and a small splash of club soda if desired.

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Tips:

*fresh cherries may be swapped for frozen pitted cherries, but thaw before muddling

**superfine sugar is granulated sugar that has been blended until powdery; it may be purchased at the grocery store and is labelled 'berry sugar' in Canada. You can swap it for an equal volume of maple syrup

 

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cocktail, Calories: 203kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 1mg, Potassium: 153mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin C: 7mg, Iron: 1mg

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

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