Whiskey Cherry Smash

Sweet & juicy cherries muddled with fresh mint and the spicy herbal notes of rye whiskey makes a Whiskey Cherry Smash the perfect sipping drink

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To be totally honest, I think what drew me to this particular cocktail is the name. Whiskey Cherry Smash. Smashing cherries just sounds like fun! Wasn’t that a band in the 90’s?? Ok. I’ll stop, let’s make this drink

Measure out 2 ounces of rye whiskey. You can also use bourbon to make this tasty cocktail but my husband is on a rye whiskey kick lately that a local Upstate NY distillery produces not far from where we live

What is the difference between rye & bourbon?

The greatest difference in these two spirits, aside from base ingredients, is their taste profiles. Bourbons tend to be more sweet and caramel-like due to their corn base, while rye grains lend a spicier, more savory note to the whiskey

We’ll also need 6 fresh, pitted cherries and 1/2 ounce of agave nectar. You can use simple syrup instead of agave, but you’ll need to double it

Can agave nectar be used instead of simple syrup??

Absolutely. Agave nectar is sweeter than sugar and can be used in almost any drink that calls for simple syrup. It is usually best to cut the amount of simple syrup in half using agave nectar. If you don’t happen to have agave, just boil equal parts of water and white sugar then cool. Pretty simple. Hence the name

Ok. Where were we… rye, check. Cherries, check. Agave, check. Fresh mint. We have SO much fresh mint this time of the year and I’m happy to let it add a little bit of zip to our cocktails

Add the cherries, mint, agave and a squeeze of lime juice into into a cocktail glass. The lime wedge must be camera shy because it was hiding when I took the photo

Use a muddler to smash the ingredients into a pulp