Duel’s Guide To A Cherry Summer

Walk through your local super market and you’ll see some great deals on cherries, that means it’s summer and cherry season!  $1.99 a pound and under are usually your best bets, but keep an eye on deals, as cherries go on sale often during the month of July.  In Chicago, you can get great deals with street vendors and latin grocery stores, so be on the lookout for the best deal.  So why cherries?  Cherries can be that secret ingredient to knock your cocktail from good to great.

Below are a couple of recipes that we think are great for a hot summer day, but cherries can be a replacement for any juice, in any drink.  Cheers and have a cherry summer!

DUEL’s CHERRY WHISKEY SMASH
What you need:
– 1 ounce Whiskey (something smooth that doesn’t cut through the cherries)
– 5 cherries – 3 for juice (pitted), 2 for serving
– 1 ounce cherry juice (3 cherries pitted)
– 1/2 ounce amaretto
– 1/2 ounce ginger brandy

(Serves one, is easily multiplied)

Tools: Muddler, shaker, strainer
Glass: Rocks
Garnish: Fresh cherries

In a cocktail shaker, muddle 3 cherries until smashed making 1 oz of cherry juice.  Add ice, whiskey, amaretto and brandy, shaking for 15 seconds – to combine.  Double-strain into a glass filled with fresh ice.  Garnish with fresh cherries.

CHERRY, CHERRY QUITE CONTRARY
This recipe comes from Imbibemagazine.com.  The recipe Cherry, Cherry Quite Contrary from Brynn Smith, bar manager at L.A.’s Sotto.

Smith’s playful riff on a Pimm’s Cup incorporates fresh muddled cherries into the summery refresher.

What you need:
– 4 fresh, dark red cherries pitted
– 2 slices fresh cucumber
– 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
– 1/4 oz maraschino cherry syrup
(Smith uses Luxardo)
– 2 1/2 oz gin-vermouth mixture
– 2 1/2 oz chilled club soda

Tools: Muddler, shaker, strainer, fine strainer
Glass: Collins
Garnish: Fresh cherries, lemon wheel, cucumber ribbons

Muddle cherries and cucumber slices in a shaker.  Add ice and remaining ingredients, except club soda, and shake well.   Add the club soda to the shaker and double-strain into a glass filled with fresh ice, lemon wheels and cucumber ribbons.  Garnish with fresh cherries.

Gin-vermouth mixture: Combine 8 oz of Carpano Antica with 6 oz of Hendricks Gin.

Try them out, take pictures and tag us.  #drinkhonorably

~Duel Drinkware