Cherry Pop Cocktail

This gin-based cocktail has many virtues – a sweet summer cherry puree, a drizzle of almond-flavored syrup and a dry sparkling wine finish. Served over ice, it’s a cool and refreshing way to end a hot summer night.

This recipe makes two drinks, but you can easily double or triple it for a group of friends.

A Cherry Pop Cocktail is a refreshing combination of pureed fresh sweet cherries, pine gin, bright lemon and a sweet almond-based syrup called Orgeat.

It’s a version of the gin fizz, the ingredients of which include gin, lemon juice and sugar, and topped with sparkling water.

The family of fizzes has been around since the mid-18th century – perhaps the most famous being the Ramos Gin Fizz, which contains cream and an egg white to make it thick and fluffy.

A gin fizz is usually served without ice in a highball glass, but with the cherry puree in this recipe, the dilution from the ice really helps brighten it up.

Cherry pop cocktail snapshot

Almonds and cherries are a match made in heaven. Cherry clafoutis, a custard-like dessert baked with fresh cherries, is one of the most popular recipes featuring this classic combination. However, the clever combination works just as well in cocktails as it does in after-dinner sweets.

Gin: I used a London Dry Gin which is widely available to add botanical and citrus notes to the drink.

Organ: A sweetened almond syrup should be easy to find at most liquor stores. It was consumed as a liqueur as early as the 13th century and then rediscovered in the 1940s with the invention of the tiki drink. Use like simple syrup to sweeten cocktails, but with a nutty hit. If you want to try and prepare orgeat at home, we have a great recipe!

Prosecco: Prosecco is a dry sparkling wine from Italy. Any dry bubbly will do here – champagne from France, cava from Spain – we like to add some sparkle to the cherry puree to brighten it up.

cherry puree: Pureeing pitted cherries in a blender is all you need to do to make a puree for this delicious cocktail. Of course, the season determines the sweetness of the puree.

Frozen cherries are also great when you’re craving a summer drink in the dark of winter. Just thaw them first (or you’ll end up making more mushy) and keep the flavorful liquid.

A cherry stoner comes in handy (and not just for cherries. You can also use it for pitting olives.)

A cherry stoner is not required to remove the pits, it is only helpful. You can gently press the cherry onto a cutting board with the flat side of a chef’s knife to loosen the flesh and wiggle out the pit, or try a variety of methods in this guide to remove pits without a pit.

Finally, if your puree sits for a while before using, give it a stir to incorporate it again.

Ways to Garnish Your Cherry Pop Cocktail

If you want something other than a cherry garnish with a cherry drink, a simple lemon twist would be pretty. Or use a Y-shaped peeler around the perimeter of the lemon to get a long, wide strip of zest and roll into your glass before adding ice.

Need more cocktails in your life? Try these:

• Manhattan cocktail
• Planter’s Punch cocktail
• Old fashioned cocktail
• Aviation Cocktail
• Classic paloma