tart cherry whiskey sour
This spin on the classic sour cocktail uses sour cherries, but I didn’t want to call it a “sour cherry whiskey sour,” for obvious reasons. Sour cherries are only in season for a brief window in the summer, but they can be found frozen in many grocery stores year round (and they are worth finding if you enjoy sour things, for they are the zingiest). They are a totally different variety from their sweeter counterparts, smaller and nearly neon red. This recipe will make more syrup than you need for the cocktails, so drizzle it over ice cream or yogurt, or just go ahead and make another batch of drinks.
yield 4 cocktails
sour cherry syrup
2 cups fresh or frozen pitted sour cherries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 ts kosher salt
1/2 lemon, juiced, or more to taste
riffing
swap tart cherries for rhubarb (halve the water)
skip the egg whites and top off with seltzer or sparkling wine for a spritzy situation
in the cocktail, use 2 ounces simple syrup instead of honey and water
replace all the lemon juice with lime for a cherry limeade vibe
whiskey sour
6 oz bourbon (or your whiskey of choice)
3 oz lemon juice
1 1/2 oz honey
3 oz sour cherry syrup
3 egg whites from medium or large eggs (optional)
optional garnishes
maraschino cherries (preferably Luxardo)
frozen sour cherries
fresh sweet cherries
recipe prep
Combine sour cherries, sugar, salt and 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the cherries start to break down and release all their juicy juices, 8-12 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 20-30 minutes in the pot.
Strain cherry syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a jar or container, pressing on the solids to extract as much of the syrup as possible. Add the juice of half a lemon, taste, and add more as desired (remember: there is plenty of lemon juice in the actual cocktail!). Chill until use.
Add bourbon, lemon juice, honey, 1 1/2 ounces water, cherry syrup and egg whites (if using) to a cocktail shaker or large sealable jar. Shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds to incorporate the egg whites and get them all frothy.
Add ice and shake for another 10-15 seconds until the outside of the shaker/jar is very cold. Strain into four coupes or rocks glasses over ice and garnish as desired (if this was made as a batch for less than four people, strain any extra cocktail into an ice-less jar or cup so it isn’t watered down before you drink it and store in the fridge until the next round).
do it ahead You can cook and strain the syrup up to a week ahead. Just wait til day-of to add the lemon juice.
those extra cherry solids Eat them with yogurt and granola or on top of ice cream or as a snack on their own. They’d be a nice edition to cheese and charcuterie boards
just for one 1 1/2 oz bourbon, 1 oz lemon juice, 1/2 oz honey, 1/2 oz water, 3/4 oz sour cherry syrup, 1 egg white
