July is the first month we truly commit to spending all of our free time outside.
Grills are lit, swimming pools uncovered, and coolers stocked with an army of cold beers. Aside from the occasional blender cocktail or tiki drink, beer's usually my beverage of choice during the summer months thanks to its low alcohol level, ubiquity, and the limited prep work required to enjoy one.
But one can't survive on cheap beer alone—although somemight arguewith that—sometimes you just need a cocktail. And, this year, I wanted to create a house cocktail that works just as well for an indoor dinner party as it does for outdoor barbecue sessions.
That's howThe Cherry Bombwas born.
My starting place was the classicWhiskey Smash, a simple mix of whiskey, muddled lemon, mint, and simple syrup topped with a mound of crushed ice. The drink is boozy, sure, but the crushed ice and sugary lemon juice mixture that forms the base of the drink makes it surprisingly refreshing.
I opted to swap out whiskey for dark rum—both are potent brown spirits, but rum's underlying sweetness makes for a cocktail I can enjoy more than one of during an afternoon by the pool. From there, I added lime to the usual muddled lemon found in a smash, the bright acidic flavor helping to balance out a bit of the sweetness that rum brings to the table. (It's the same thinking behind why Iput the stuff on top of my eggs.)
But the real defining characteristic of The Cherry Bomb are the fresh cherries that make their way into the bottom of the cocktail shaker. Beautiful cherries are available at seemingly every turn this time of year, an embarrassment of ruby riches at local grocery stores and farmer's markets. Here, they lend a great color and, depending on what type of fresh cherries you've got on hand, a tart, sweet, or sour flavor.
Mix all that together, pour it in an Old Fashioned glass, and pile the thing high with crushed ice. Be prepared for a dangerously drinkable cocktail—just try to remember that, yes, there's actually alcohol in it.
Just don't blame me if you give up on your summer beer regimen forever.
