Cherry Whiskey Sour

• EASY – You can enjoy this tasty whiskey sour cocktail in no time at all!
• HOMEMADE – Don’t let homemade making you nervous. Put your mixologist hat on and give this festive cocktail a try!
• CHERRY SIMPLE SYRUP – This cocktail is the perfect excuse to make my favorite simple syrup.
• PRESENTATION – I served these at a recent girls night, each in a pretty rocks glass and boy was it impressive.

There are just four ingredients plus water to make the perfect whiskey sour.

Fresh juice is the key to a classic whiskey sour. One lemon and one orange will make several delicious cocktails. Lime juice is a good substitution for the lemon juice if you are in a pinch.

Did you know all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon?

What makes bourbon distinct from other whiskey is how it is manufactured and aged. For more information about the difference between whiskey and bourbon read this interesting article from Food & Wine.

Traditionally, whiskey sours are made with 80-proof bourbon which adds a touch of oak that doesn’t overpower the sweet vs sour combination.

In my opinion, when you are going to add several ingredients to whiskey it is not necessary to get top-shelf whiskey. I recommend any mid-range, 80-proof bourbon

One of the best ways to use cherries when they are in season is to make Cherry Simple Syrup. Use it in ice tea, lemonade, cocktails and even over ice cream.

By combining, fresh cherries, sugar and water you’ll have enough simple syrup to make many whiskey sours. Find complete instructions for cherry simple syrup here.

No time to make simple syrup? Use maraschino cherry juice as a substitute.

• Add 1/2 cup ice, 2 oz of whiskey, 1/2 oz fresh orange juice, 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice, 1/2 oz cherry simple syrup, and 1 oz of water to a cocktail shaker.
• Shake for 30 – 45 seconds.
• Strain the drink into a 10 oz whiskey glass full of ice cubes.
• Garnish with an orange slice, fresh basil and maraschino cherries.

The recipe makes one drink, but you can easily double or triple the recipe.

When I know I will be serving more than one drink, I will combine the lemon juice and orange juice along with the cherry simple syrup so that when it’s time for happy hour, it’s quick and easy to serve and the mess is already cleaned up.

Have a cocktail kit ready by having the sweet and sour mix, orange slices, and cherries prepared well before you are ready to start pouring the drinks.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comments below.