Happy Wednesday friends! Raise your hand if you are ready for this Summer heat to be over? I definitely am! But what I am not ready for is to say goodbye to all the delicious summer fruit and vegetables! One of my favorite summer fruits are cherries! I prefer Rainer cherries over red because they taste more like small peaches! Also, they don’t stain like red cherries do. Even though cherries ideally are picked May and June, they are the perfect fruit to enjoy ALL summer long! Since we are saying goodbye to summer this week, I wanted to share one of my favorite cherry cocktails so you can enjoy it before it’s too late!
Keep in mind you can definitely use red cherries for this recipe as well. If you use Rainer cherries like I did, I recommend tossing them into the oven for a few minutes before you muddle them. This will not only bring our the flavors, but it will also break them down so they are easier to muddle.
Also, I used Bluecoat Elderflower Gin for this recipe. The infusion of organic elderflower through a maceration process gives this classic American Dry Gin a light floral taste and heady fragrance. If you are not able to use this gin, I recommend adding elderflower liqueur like St. Germain. I enjoyed using Bluecoat Elderflower Gin because it gave this cocktail the perfect amount of elderflower notes!
Cherry Nutrition
Did you know that cherries are packed with nutrients? This makes them an ideal ingredient to add to your summer recipes! All varieties of cherries are highly nutritious and packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
One cup (154 grams) of sweet, raw, pitted cherries provides (1):
- Calories: 97
- Protein: 2 grams
- Carbs: 25 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Vitamin C: 18% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Potassium: 10% of the DV
- Copper: 5% of the DV
- Manganese: 5% of the DV
Cherries are also abundant in antioxidants. Though the amount and type can vary depending on the variety, all cherries are packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. Research shows that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds in cherries may help relieve exercise-induced muscle pain, damage, and inflammation. Therefore making cherries a perfect snack for post workouts!
Now that we know how good cherries are for us, let us jump into todays recipe!
Ingredients
- 6 pitted cherries fresh or frozen
- 1/4 grapefruit
- 4 ounces Bluecoat Elderflower Gin
- 2 ounces Club Soda
- squeeze of lime juice
- ice
Instructions
- Add cherries and grapefruit to a glass and crush/muddle with end of a wooden spoon. Tip: If using Rainer cherries, toss on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes to make easier to muddle.
- Add ice, elderflower gin, lime juice to a cocktail shaker and shake. Strain into glass then add a squeeze of lime juice. Top up with mint flowers. Enjoy!
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