Wow, it has been a minute, hasn’t it? I’m sorry to all 2 of my followers who have been waiting with baited breath for me to post again. After the 2017 holidays, I got sucked into my standard winter funk and couldn’t get it together enough to post. Then I got salmonella (true story!) and, well, when you have salmonella, you don’t want to think about food. At all.
But summer is finally here and, with it, cocktail season. I came up with this very simple recipe one day after I ran out of gin (the horror!) and couldn’t make my standard gin and lemonade poolside libation.
I also found my nice camera (Nikon D40X) so photos around here might improve a bit. Yay!
This recipe has three branded ingredients. One of them is very important you get the exact brand, one is fairly important to get the exact brand, and the third is up to you. San Pellegrino limonata is the tartest soda I’ve been able to find. You really need it in this recipe to stand up to the syrupy sweetness of the cherry liqueur. And finally, the aperitivo balances everything out. I’ve given you a range in the recipe so you can adjust to your bitterness preference. The final result is a sour-sweet-bitter combination that is both complex and refreshing.
Cherry Lemonade Spritz Cocktail
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1 can San Pellegrino limonata soda (very important, get this exact brand)
- 2 oz. cherry liqueur (Maraschino is the best, but you can use another if you prefer)
- 1–2 oz. red Italian aperitivo (common brands include Aperol, Campari, and Contratti. I used Gancia Americano because I’m allergic to red dye [seriously] and this was the only one I found without it. Check out this fun guide to all the varieties of red aperitivo to help make your selection.)
- A tall glass (Collins, highball, or just a regular drinking glass like I have here)
- Ice
Directions:
Fill the glass with ice to your desired level. I filled mine about 1/3 of the way up.
Pour the cherry liqueur and aperitivo over top. Fill the rest of the way with the San Pellegrino limonata.
Stir and serve immediately.
Crossed Forks 