I love all things cherry flavored: lollipops, sour candies, popsicles, and of course, soda! From what I gather from my friends and even random people I meet, artificial cherry flavor is not something people look upon with glee. I mean, there is a huge difference between artificial cherry and real cherries, but still, all cherry flavored things are delicious in my books!
I always get excited when cherry season rolls around. I’m partial to Bing cherries, not only because they’re one of the most common cherries in the Pacific Northwest, but also because they are the cherries we grew up picking. My parents would pack us (and a tent) in our minivan and we’d head to the interior of BC where the fruit orchards are. We’d pick a ton of fruit, camp, and live a nomadic fruit picker lifestyle, for a couple of days at least. It was the best!
I haven’t picked fruit in a really long time, unless picking out fruit at the stands at the farmers markets counts? I’m hoping Mike and I will have a chance this year because if we do, I’m going to be picking pounds and pounds cherries. Mike wants to try making boozy homemade maraschino cherries and I want to make clafoutis and cherry sodas!
These simple cherry sodas are just the ticket for a hot day. I added a generous amount of bourbon into Mike’s glass for a cherry bourbon smash and kept mine simple and extra cherry-ful. Cheers!
PS – It’s summer so it’s time for ALL the drinks! Sherrie from With Food + Love is hosting a huge drinks party. Check out #drinkthesummer right here if you’re even the slightest bit thirsty :) I’ve got my eyes on Ginger-Berry Splashes, Vanilla Plum Shrubs, and Watermelon Mint Agua Fresca! Happy Summer!
Cherry Vanilla Soda Recipe
makes 2 drinks
- 1 cup pitted fresh cherries
- 2-3 tablespoons superfine sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- soda water
- ice
In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, pour the sugar over the cherries. Let macerate for a couple of minutes, then use a fork or small potato masher to crush up the cherries as smooth as possible, making sure the sugar is dissolved.
If you don’t like bits in your drink, strain the cherries, pushing down on the fruit to extract as much juice as possible. Divide the juice evenly between two glasses and add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla (use the good stuff!) to each. Top off the glasses with soda water and ice, stir and enjoy!
So sweet and amazingly refreshing! This is one summer drink that I could really get obsessed with!!!
artificial cherry just tastes so different from the real stuff, that i can’t deal with it because i’m busy pining away for fresh cherries. good thing this soda uses real ones! ^_^