I stumbled upon a little farmers market last Saturday while taking a walk so of course I had to stop and take a look. I found some very fragrant basil I just couldn’t pass up. A pint of cherries was also calling my name so I picked up a container of them as well. Originally I thought I’d make some of my favorite pesto and just eat the cherries. But while walking home I got to wondering what cherries and basil together would taste like. And that’s basically how this Cherry Basil Spritzer came to being. This drink can easily be made non-alcoholic simply by omitting the booze!
I confess, I made this drink twice. The first time I muddled some cherries with a few basil leaves in a glass, added some simple syrup, vodka (you could add rum if you prefer) and club soda. Pretty much the same way as making a mojito. Like I mentioned in my Strawberry Mojito, I’m not a big fan of chunky stuff floating in my cocktails. So I wanted to give it a try with a strawberry basil simple syrup to compare. Both methods produce a delightful, summer sipper so it really just depends on your preferences for chunks vs. no chunks. Using a cherry basil flavored simple syrup produced a little bit sweeter drink, which for me is not a problem when I make a tall drink that contains ice and club soda. If you like your drinks not sweet, try the muddled option so you can control the amount of sweetener you add.
I don’t own a handy gadget to pit the cherries so I went through the somewhat laborious process of pitting the cherries with a knife, which, btw, will make your fingers red! I am now going to buy one of these cherry pitters
I know a cherry basil spritzer may sound a bit strange to some of you, it did for me when I first thought about it, but I hope it will inspire you to try different fruit/herb combinations in your cocktails this summer while fresh fruit and herbs are at their peak!
PrintCherry Basil Spritzer
A delightful, summertime cocktail. For a non-alcoholic version, just omit the vodka!
Ingredients
For the Simple Syrup Version:
- 1 1/2 shots Cherry Basil simple syrup (see directions below)
- 1 shot vodka
- squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- club soda
For the muddled fruit version:
- 4 or 5 fresh cherries, pitted
- 3 basil leaves
- 1/2 shot simple syrup (more or less to taste)
- squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- club soda
Instructions
To make spritzer with cherry basil simple syrup:
- Prepare flavored simple syrup (you can read more about that here) by combining 1//2 C. sugar, 1/2 C. water, 1-1/2 C. pitted and roughly chopped cherries* in a saucepan and bring to a boil to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat, add a few basil leaves (not too many or it will overpower the cherry flavor) and let it simmer about 10-15 minutes to break down cherries. Set aside, let it cool. When cooled, pour mixture into fine mesh strainer and strain to remove solids.
- In cocktail shaker combine cherry simple syrup, vodka, and lemon juice, Shake well, pour into a tall glass filled with ice. Top with club soda.
To make using the muddled fruit method:
- Add cherries, basil, simple syrup to glass. Muddle well to break down the fruit. Add vodka, lemon juice, ice. Top with club soda. Stir to combine.
Notes
* I used my entire pint of cherries I bought when making the simple syrup, minus some that I ate on my way home on my walk and the few I used for the muddled version. The amount does not have to be exact, so enjoy some of those fresh cherries while you have them in front of you!
For a non-alcoholic version, simply omit the alcohol.