It seemed appropriate to make this post on a Tuesday. Inspired by the Rolling Stones song, this cocktail brings out the best in seasonal cherries with rye, herbaceous Amaro Montenegro and a kick of acid from freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Cherry season is upon us and I'm trying to make good use of them. Planning to break out my canning kit and whip up some brandied cherries to drop into Manhattans well into the winter months.
Maybe some cherry chutney will be in order too. Call me a snob, but I don't think you can serve a cheese plate without some fancy chutneys, mustards or jellies as accompaniment. Personally, I'm partial to anything from local Top Shelf Preserves or Toronto-based Stasis Preserves. The Ontario Black Walnuts in Honey from Stasis Preserves make for a divine addition to any cheese board.
I find a lot of people still seem to be intimidated by canning/preserving at home. To be honest, it requires minimal investment in some jars, a canning pot, tongs, and a few other accoutrements, but you can buy them bundled for $60 from Amazon. A small spend on tools will help you savour seasonal ingredients year-round. In terms of process, there are a pretty wide spectrum of recipes from totally mindless and fool-proof, to expert.
Last year for my birthday, a friend gifted me the Batch cookbook which has been an endless source of inspiration for preserving, canning, dehydrating and more. It's a good starting point if you want to start your journey into the wild world of preserves.
I've really gotten side-tracked here thinking about how not to let the bag of cherries in my fridge go to waste. This recipe only requires a grand total of 5 cherries per cocktail, so you'd either have to host a dinner party or get serious about drinking alone if you wanted to put a dent in that 2 lb bag in your fridge.
I love this cocktail because it's spirited and the natural sweetness of the cherries is balanced by the bitter Amaro. The colour is also totally to die for. I will say, this recipe yields enough cocktail to fill a martini glass (or, at least, my martini glasses) right to the brim. Maneuvering with a full martini glass is one of the best built-in sobriety tests of the cocktail world. Fill your martini glass with crimson cherry juice and really up the stakes.
You know what? Unless you're entertaining, you can make this in a fancy chilled martini glass, get a snap for the 'gram and then promptly transfer to a juice glass to get through your evening with #nospills. Just do you.
In a shaker, muddle the cherries. Add the remaining ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish.
Recipe adapted from: Kosmas, Jason and Zaric, Dushan. "Ruby Tuesday." Speakeasy: Classic Cocktails Reimagined From New York's Employees Only Bar.