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


Now let’s add in the whiskey and stir well

Fill the glass with crushed ice and top off with some bubbly seltzer

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Recipe Card
Simply Sundays ~ Whiskey Cherry Smash
Ingredients
2 ounces of rye whiskey
6 fresh, pitted cherries
1/2 ounce of agave nectar or 1 ounce of simple syrup
A squeeze of lime juice
Fresh mint
Seltzer or club soda
Directions
Measure out 2 ounces of rye whiskey, 6 fresh, pitted cherries and 1/2 ounce of agave nectar (or 1 ounce of simple syrup) and 5-6 fresh mint leaves
Add the cherries, mint, agave and a squeeze of lime juice into into a cocktail glass; Use a muddler to smash the ingredients into a pulp
Add in the whiskey and stir well; fill the glass with crushed ice and top off with some bubbly seltzer
Tools used to make this recipe
Winco Jiggers Steel 1 Ounce x 2 Ounce
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