This bourbon cherry old-fashioned is like welcoming in your Saturday with a giant teddy bear style hug. Yes, I realize that sounds totally dorky, but it’s true. While this cocktail is extremely summery with its perfectly sweet summertime cherries, it also feels warm and cozy at the same time. Why? –> the bourbon. Bourbon just has the ability to warm you right up inside. Again, dorky, but true. All summer long I’ve been wanting to make us all a fun cocktail with cherries, but I just hadn’t gotten to it until now. I literally looked at my calendar the other day and realized that today is the very last Saturday in July. Yikes, I knew if I didn’t post this drink ASAP that cherries would be gone and we’d have to wait another ten months to make this drink (although you could certainly thaw some frozen cherries and use those too!). Obviously, I was not about to wait ten months, so I kicked myself into action and decided to create something simple yet perfect.
At first I was going to add other flavors to make this drink a bit fancier, but then I changed my thinking, and decided that I loved the sound of cherries and bourbon together and really wanted to make those flavors shine…so that’s what I did. Sometimes simple really is best…as I’m slowly learning with every day I grow older. This drink takes maybe five minutes to make and consists of a total of five ingredients…
sweet cherries…I used a mix of Rainier cherries and Bing, but either or will be delicious, so use what you love. bourbon…use a highly quality bourbon, as it’s a key player in this drink. lime juice…for a little citrus hit. orange bitters…a must for any old-fashioned. honey…to sweeten ever so slightly…also, I really just love cherries and honey together.
Make the drink all pretty with some fresh cherries and a sprig of mint and you’ll have the perfect Saturday cocktail for sipping on the porch, preferably in an old rocking chair…because for some reason this is the picture I have in my mind…and I like it. Sounds like the perfect Saturday night to me.
ps. I’m now longing for a creaky old porch, a rocking chair and a southern sunset…
