Bourbon Bada Bing

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Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Nut-Free/Vegan

Skill Level: Beginner

Yield: 1 cocktail

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Equipment Needed:

• Cutting board

• Chef's knife

• Paring knife

• Shot glass measure/Jigger

• Muddler (see note below if you don't have one)

• Pint glass

• Cocktail shaker

• 10-oz rocks glass

The Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 of a lime, cut into 4 wedges

• 6 sweet Bing cherries, stems and pits removed, cut in half

• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

• 6 mint leaves

• Pinch of salt

• 2 ounces bourbon

• Mint sprig and 1 whole Bing cherry, for garnish (optional)

Procedure:

1. Add lime wedges, cherry halves, bitters, mint leaves, and salt to a pint glass. Use a muddler to mash everything together. You want to express all of the delicious oils from the rind of the lime, so really give it a good go.

2. Add a scoop of ice and the bourbon to your cocktail shaker.

3. Add the contents of the pint glass into your cocktail shaker.

4. Shake vigorously a minimum of 15-20 shakes.

5. Strain into a 10-ounce rocks glass over fresh ice.

To Serve: Garnish with a Bing cherry and mint sprig, if desired. This cocktail is lovely sipped outside on a hot summer evening.

Adjusting for your diet: If you don't drink alcohol, simply omit the bourbon. You may wish to top off your mocktail with club soda or ginger ale, which I think would be delicious and refreshing.

Tips:

• Although I always list cocktail garnishes as "optional," in my humble opinion they should be there. There is an awesome book I use as a resource called The Flavor Bible, and in the first chapter it talks about how aroma is responsible for as much as 80% or more of flavor. I think taking a drink of a flavorful cocktail and inhaling the aroma of a sprig of herb or a twist of citrus really does enhance the overall experience.

• If you don't already have a muddler, don't buy one (unless you think you're going to get really into mixology, in which case I fully support you). You can use the handle-end of a wooden spoon as your muddler, or if you happen to own a French-style rolling pin, this would work great, too.

• I used pineapple mint for my cocktail, but really only because that plant needed pruning more than my mojito mint plant. I think either variety of mint would taste lovely in this cocktail.

• If you don't have access to Bing cherries, try using frozen sweet cherries as a substitute (thaw first, of course). I would not recommend using inexpensive maraschino cherries as a substitute; in my opinion those really only belong on top of an ice cream sundae (if then...).

• Everyone has their own idea of the "best" way to pit a cherry. Of course, you can buy fancy tools to do the job for you, but my kitchen drawers are already busting and I don't love buying tools that can really only be used for one little task that I don't do that often. I simply use a paring knife to slice around the hemisphere of the cherry, then twist the two halves in opposite directions to separate them. One half is then good to go, and I use my paring knife to pop the pit out of the other half. Bada-boom.

• Note that I suggest using "dashes" of bitters, not drops. Of course everyone has their own idea of what a "dash" means, but I do 2 strong shakes of bitters over my glass for this cocktail.

• I used Jim Beam in this cocktail; I don't think it really pays to use a spendy spirit when you'll be mixing it with some other things that mask it a bit. But, to each their own.

The Story:

I don't think I can start telling any kind of recipe-developing stories without first commenting on the AMAZING FREAKING COLOR OF THIS COCKTAIL!!!

The cocktail that looked so nice, I made it twice.

My kids begged me to buy Bing cherries the last time we were at the grocery store, and although they are a bit pricey I was feeling more in a "yes" mood and less in a "maybe-but-I-actually-mean-no" mood. Plus, is there anything better than sitting with a big bowl of those babies outside on a hot summer day, spitting pits over the side of the deck and spinning tales to your littles about cherry trees growing in their tummies? I think not.

Later that evening, after the little dears were all tucked in, I did my usual scan of the fridge to see what kind of cocktail trouble I could get into and spied that little bag of rubies. In my experience, bourbon and cherries go together like cheese and wine, so figuring out the spirit was pretty easy. I had recently developed the "Rich Ginger Julep" and loved the way the bourbon played with the mint, so determining my herb element also proved a no-brainer. For the citrus, lime and mint are also an obvious match. A pinch of salt for good luck, and I was on my way.

I made a couple drafts of this cocktail; the first draft didn't have quite as many cherries and mint leaves, and I thought it fell just the tiniest bit flat so I upped those on the second round. The second round was just perfection. If you ever had a cherry-limeade as a kid, this cocktail will whisk you right back to that (simpler) time. Beautiful acid from the lime, hint of mint, sweetness from the cherries and just the lightest suggestion of bourbon. And the COLOR on this thing...you'll want to sit and paint it. But then you won't. Because you'll want to drink it :)

Cheers!