It is definitely cherry season! Have you noticed huge displays of cherries popping up all over the place?
I am a sucker for big, beautiful displays of fruit. But even better, I recently realized that there are quite a few cherry trees in Salt Lake. Last week, multiple co-workers brought cherries into the office to share. And I couldn’t believe my luck on a neighborhood walk the other night when we happened upon a neighbor’s tree full of the ripest, juiciest cherries I’ve ever laid eyes on!
When do I get to move into a house with a cherry tree?! Based on the price of these little guys, I think I could pay June and July’s rent by selling one tree’s harvest alone.
Despite what you may be thinking, this recipe was not made with stolen cherries. I mean, I had to sample one from our neighbor’s tree, but I stopped there. As to whether or not I’m above taking a little walk back to accidentally shake down a branch… well, that’s still up for debate.
Sooo what do you do when a friend shares her cherry harvest with you? Well, you make margs, of course!
I’m pretty sure you can combine anything with tequila and call it a margarita… and I’ve seen some rather odd combinations. (Chocolate margarita, anyone?) Cherries are a natural fit, though. They are tart like limes, so it’s easy to swap out some of the lime juice for cherry juice in a regular margarita recipe. It adds another fruity dimension, not to mention gorgeous red color!
And I’ll be honest, the fresh cherries ended up being mostly for show. A couple of them muddled at the bottom of the glass is a nice touch, plus a few more for garnish… but we’re mostly using cherry juice. Cheating? Nahhh.
The good news is that it’s easy. The bad news is that you’ll still have lots of cherries leftover.
You could also garnish these with blueberries for a perfect Fourth of July cocktail. Red cherries, white salt, and blueberries! So festive.
Fourth of July snuck up on me this year. Does that tend to happen to you with any holiday at the beginning of a month? I think I’m used to Christmas and having 24 days of the month beforehand to plan. Only on Monday did I realize that it was a short week! And between that and the soccer game yesterday, not the most productive week, either. Not that I’m complaining. You will never hear me complaining about a long weekend! Especially when it holds the promise of these festive margaritas.
Bust out the tequila and shake up a few of these cocktails tonight! It’s almost the holiday weekend, after all.
- kosher salt
- 1/2 cup pitted fresh cherries
- ice cubes
- 3 oz gold tequila
- 1 oz Cointreau or tripe sec
- 4 oz tart cherry juice
- juice of 1 1/2 limes
- 1 1/2 Tbsp agave
- Rim two glasses with lime juice and kosher salt.
- Divide the fresh cherries between the two glasses and muddle until crushed. (Alternatively, run them through a food processor.) Add ice cubes.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, triple sec, cherry juice, lime juice, and agave. Taste and adjust. Divide between two glasses. Garnish with additional fresh cherries if desired. Serve and enjoy!
These are simply gorgeous! I love that red color and yes, I’m a sucker for fruit displays as well. I fell victim and bought a huge bag of cherries that I’ve been devouring all week. It would be very tempting to have a neighbor with a cherry tree! I’m proud of you for not robbing them. ;)
I am on board with anything having to do with tequila in summer. And cherries, considering I can’t stop buying them but can’t eat them all just straight out of the bag…thanks for this post!
What a great way to start the holiday weekend.
Muddled fruit + liquor, how can you go wrong? These look delicious.
Always a recipe for success, right?!
LOoks so refreshing and summitry! Gotta try this ;-)
meant summery. It is a typo!