Sour Cherry Lemonade for Two
Serves 2 (in a 10-ounce rocks glass filled halfway with ice)
1 ½ pounds of fresh sour cherries, pitted (or 1 ½ cups frozen and thawed cherries—canned cherries also work!)
¾ cup sugar, plus 2 teaspoons
½ cup water
1 ½ cups club soda
½ cup lemon juice
Vodka (optional)
To make the syrup:
Simmer those lovely cherries with the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the cherries are broken down and juicy with liquid-like thin maple syrup. This should take 15 minutes.
Cool the mixture slightly and strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding (or reusing!) the cooked cherries. There will be approximately ½ cup of cherry syrup.
To make the lemonade:
Combine ½ cup of lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and ½ cup of cherry syrup. Stir vigorously to combine.
Right before serving, slowly add 1 ½ cups of club soda and then stir gently.
In a rocks glass, pour this combination over a generous amount of ice. Top with 2 tablespoons of vodka, per glass, if desired.
Expecting a crowd? Check out the batch recipe!
(Credit to the original recipe from Martha Stewart Living, date unknown.)
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