Tart Cherry Martini
We love the idea of serving intriguing cocktails over the holidays, but find ourselves too overwhelmed with all the cooking to devote time to preparing fresh juices, seeking out rare liqueurs, and rimming glasses with demerara sugar. If you’re like us, you want an easy yet impressive cocktail to serve over the holidays that will appeal to a wide range of palates; the Tart Cherry Martini is a simple, beautiful, and gender-neutral concoction. What is more, it provides a light, delicious and refreshing prelude to what will likely be a heavy meal to come.
The cherry concentrate gives this martini its festive ruby red color and natural tang, integrating seamlessly with the clean, classic martini ingredients. Though the cherry concentrate lends a subtle sweetness to the drink, it is made from only 100% pure cherries with no sugar added, appealing to fruity cocktail lovers, as well as those who veer more to the dry side.
We use Hidden Star Orchards’ cherry concentrate, but this recipe would also work as a Tart Pomegranate Martini if you substitute their cherry concentrate with their pomegranate concentrate and garnish with a lemon twist or pomegranate seeds.
INGREDIENTS
2 oz. gin
½ oz. vermouth
1 generous teaspoon cherry concentrate (such as Hidden Star Orchards)
1 Amarena cherry for garnish
Ice cubes
DIRECTIONS
Pour gin, vermouth, and cherry concentrate into a cocktail shaker. Add a large handful of ice cubes. Close and shake. Pour contents into a martini glass. Garnish with a single large ice cube and an Amarena cherry, if desired.
Hidden Star Orchards’ cherry and pomegranate concentrates are available via mail order.