Tart Cherry Gin Fizz

A few weeks ago I was having dinner at my friend Jaimi's house and she served a delicious cocktail using cherry juice. I love cherries just as much as anyone but never think to use them in a cocktail! This got me thinking, wouldn't cherry make the perfect accent to gin, and while we're at it, we may as well make it fizzy (makes me think of old fashioned cherry soda but with alcohol instead of just straight sugar). At that point, I was determined to make this cocktail happen even though cherries are not in season yet. I finally found some "Tasmanian cherries" at Sprouts, and I joked that I was going to assholeishly name this the "Tasmanian Cherry Gin Fizz." Let's all just be glad that I didn't. In fact, you don't even need actual cherries for this drink, except for a garnish but just know that they do sink to the bottom, FYI. So unless you want a bowl of cherries to sit next to your drink, then maybe just don't even worry about the whole cherries and keep things simple (or get the cherries and use a cocktail pick).

MAKE IT

2 oz gin

3/4 oz fresh lemon juice

1 oz pure tart cherry juice (I got mine at Trader Joe's)

1 egg white

10 drops Vanilla Stevia

Club soda

In a shaker, combine gin, cherry juice, egg white, lemon juice, and vanilla stevia with ice. Shake rigorously and pour into the glass. Top with a splash of club soda.

Photography by Ashley Burns