Sour Cherry Smash

Remember back in the spring when I was going on about how great flowering trees are and how you should plant one in your yard? Well, here's another reason that's a great idea: some flowering trees produce fruit. And though you will probably have to pay money for your tree, three plus years later when you finally get fruit off of it you will feel a little bit like you won the lottery. The only thing to question about all of this is what to do with the cherries? I have two cherry trees in my back yard, and the one that produced this year (they do every other year) is relatively small. I didn't quite have enough cherries for a pie, which made me sad, but I cheered myself up with a little cocktail.

The Sour Cherry Smash

2 ounces sour cherries
2 ounces rum (or bourbon if you prefer)
1 ounce of simple syrup
A few mint leaves for garnish
Seltzer (optional)

Muddle your cherries first, thoroughly, to get as much cherry juice as possible. You can pit them, if you like, it will make the muddling easier. Add the rum and simple syrup and muddle some more. Throw in a few ice cubes, a few mint leaves, and top with seltzer if desired.

Stay tuned for next year, when I will hopefully get a ton of cherries from my bigger tree and report back to you with a cherry pie recipe!