Cherry Lime Bourbon Smash is an easy to make summer cocktail. Full of fresh cherries and mint, you'll love the flavor of this sweet bourbon drink.
I love cherries. They are one of my favorite fruits. In the summer, I impatiently wait around for them to go on sale at the grocery store and then buy tons of them. In the winter, I buy the frozen ones so I can enjoy them year-round. One of my favorite snacks is a bowl of frozen cherries.
As I may have mentioned a time or two (or a hundred) that bourbon is my favorite liquor. I love how well it pairs with fruits like cherries, strawberries, blueberries and even oranges. If I'm having a drink, there's a 98% chance that it involves bourbon.
This cherry lime cocktail tastes just like summer to me. Fresh cherries, fresh mint from my garden, some lime juice, soda and bourbon are all you need for this refreshing drink.
Can I use frozen cherries?
Of course! The cherry season is too short. This quick and easy cocktail recipe can be made with fresh or frozen cherries.
What kind of bourbon should I use?
Bulleit Bourbon is my favorite and my go-to for all of my cocktail recipes. However you can use any type of bourbon you have on hand or what catches your eye when you're in the liquor aisle.
Cherry Lime Bourbon Smash ingredients
- fresh (or frozen) cherries
- mint leaves
- lime juice
- bourbon
- soda (club or a lemon lime)
- ice
How to make the cocktail
- Add the cherries and mint leaves to a tall glass (or mason jar) and muddle until the cherries are broken up and have released their juices. Strain the juice into another container.
- Pour the lime juice and bourbon on top of the cherry juice and stir until combined.
- Fill two glasses with ice and divide the cherry bourbon mixture into them.
- Pour soda on top.
- Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint, a lime wedge or additional cherries.
Substitutions for this cocktail
- By only adding the juice from the cherries, this drink will not look "muddy" but feel free to add in some of the muddled cherries.
- Skip the mint if you're not a fan of it!
- If you prefer sweeter cocktails, try using half fresh lime juice and half sweetened lime juice (the bottled kind)
- Replace club or lemon-lime soda with a cherry soda, like Cheerwine
- Punch up the red color of the cocktail by adding a splash or two of grenadine
Can I make this in advance?
Mostly! The cherries, lime, bourbon and mint will keep for a while but you don't want to add the soda until you're ready to drink the cocktail or it will lose it's carbonation and no one likes flat soda!
If you don't like cherries and lime, check out my other bourbon cocktails -
- Vodka Cherry Limeade by Making Miracles
- Filipino Crema de Fruta by Pandemonium Noshery
- Makrut Lime-Kissed Clafoutis/ by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Cherry Lime Bourbon Smash by Cookaholic Wife
- Cherry Lime Rickey by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Lemon Cherry Muffin By Sneha's Recipe
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Recipe
Cherry Lime Bourbon Smash
Ingredients
- ½ cup cherries pitted and halved, plus 2 whole for garnish
- 1 sprigs fresh mint divided, plus more for garnish
- 4 oz bourbon
- 1 oz lime juice
- 12 oz lemon lime soda
Instructions
- Add the cherries and a few mint leaves to a container. Muddle until the cherries are broken up and have released their juices. Strain the liquid into another container.
- Pour the lime juice and bourbon on top of the cherries and stir until combined.
- Fill two glasses with ice and pour the cherry-bourbon-lime mixture on top.
- Divide the soda between the two glasses.
- Garnish with additional mint leaves, fresh cherries or lime wedges.
Notes
- Not a fan of mint? Skip it!
- Bourbon and cherries are both pretty sweet, so the fresh lime juice helps to cut that. If you find the drink is still not sweet enough for your tastes, replace the fresh lime juice with the bottled, sweetened variety.
- Club soda, lemon lime soda and even cherry soda can be used in this recipe.
- To make the drink even more red, add in a splash of grenadine.
Wendy Klik
Great minds Nichole. Your cocktail sounds wonderful. Cheers.
Sneha Datar
That looks like a perfect summer drink.
Rebekah Hills
Yummm - cherries, mint, bourbon? Saving this one!