It’s cherry season and what better way to enjoy their wonderful flavour than in a refreshing cocktail!
During the summer months we take part in YYC Grower’s Harvest Boxes where we pick-up a box of fresh, local vegetables and fruits each week. Lately, the cherries we’ve been receiving are just bursting with flavour!
I love to create cocktails in the summertime with fresh fruits and the combination of bourbon with cherries is a real winner.
Plus, the splash of citrus from the lemonade brings together the cocktail just perfectly with the gentle tones of maple, oak and nutmeg of the bourbon.
And, by smashing the cherries the natural juices come out to give the cocktail a beautiful cherry-coloured hue!
This is a bit of a special post since I recently joined a group of fellow Food Bloggers of Canada members to bring you the Summer Edition of Connecting over Cocktails! Each season a group of us will create a seasonal cocktail and not only will I share my recipe with you, I’ll bring you links to all of the wonderful cocktail posts – just scroll to the bottom to see what other inspired cocktails have been created!
Cherry Bourbon Lemonade Smash
It's cherry season and what better way to enjoy their lovely flavour than in a summer cocktail with bourbon and lemonade in a Cherry Bourbon Lemonade Smash!
Ingredients
- 12 fresh cherries, pitted
- pinch of sugar
- 8 ice cubes, crushed
- 2/3 cup lemonade
- 2 oz bourbon
- extra cherries for garnish
Instructions
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Using a small knife, pit 12 cherries by slicing around the pit and twisting to remove.
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Add 6 cherries to each glass plus a pinch of sugar.
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Using a muddler or wooden spoon, smash the cherries in each cocktail glass until they start to release some of their juices.
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Add crushed ice into each glass. (You can crush the ice cubes in a blender or crush in a thick ziploc bag using a kitchen mallet to smash the ice.)
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In a cocktail shaker or mason jar, add the lemonade and bourbon and shake a couple times.
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Then, pour the lemonade-bourbon mixture into the glasses, splitting evenly and top with a cherry for garnish.
Now its time to enjoy!
This cocktail is perfect for an after-work drink or on the patio during the weekend – cheers!
Here’s your dose of Summer Cocktail inspiration from my fellow bloggers, Connecting Over Cocktails…
Justine at JustineCelina.com’s Watermelon Frosé Margarita’s
Sean at Diversivore’s The Clock Calm (Currant Gin & Tonic)
Samantha from My Kitchen Love’s Spiked Peach Iced Tea
Dana from Killing Thyme’s Blueberry Lemon Vodka Fizz
Bernice from Dish ‘n’ in the Kitchen’s The Friday Flame
Jen from Mud On Her Boots’ Honeyed Blackcurrant Cordial Smash
What is your favourite summer fruit to make cocktails with? Let me know in the comments below!
Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess
Cherry perfection! This seasonal fruit theme was the easiest and most delicious to work with. I love the colours in your photos and pretty much anything involving cherries and bourbon!
Thank you for the recipe love Bernice! I agree too, the seasonal fruit theme was WONDERFUL to work with and you definitely can’t go wrong with cherries & bourbon 🙂
This looks so summery-perfect! Cherry season is almost over here in Ontario, and this would be such an amazing use for all those cherries taking up refrigerator real estate!!
Thank you Jen! And you’re exactly right, this cocktail is the perfect use for all of those amazing cherries the summer season has to offer 🙂 I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Jess, this is absolutely stunning! I love all of the fresh, bright flavours you’ve infused here, coupled with bourbon. I’m REALLY not a bourbon drinker but I’m thinking this could be my gateway cocktail! 😉 So glad that you’ve joined our collab — I can’t wait to see what you come up with for fall!
Thank you soooooo much Justine 🙂 I SO enjoyed being a part of this collab for the summer edition, thank you for the invite! And can’t wait for the fall edition (already have ideas brewing!) I’d love to know your thoughts if this cocktail indeed is your gateway to enjoying a bit of bourbon too!
Love the idea of cherries and bourbon together! And I also love that brand of bourbon; it’s my go to. Welcome to the cocktail team and great first post!
Thank you Samantha! Cherries & bourbon are honestly my fav cocktail combination and the Bulleit Bourbon is my go-to as well 🙂 So glad to be a part of this great collab with you and all of the other fab FBC bloggers!
This looks and sounds oh-so-refreshing! And really, it’s pretty simple yet looks and sounds fancy, which I love! I’m obsessed with cherries, so I really need to snag a bag the next time I see them and whip up one of these bad boys.
Thank you Dana for the recipe love! And you are right-on, it IS oh so refreshing and easy to make – I hope you love it when you snag those cherries to try it!