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    Home » Recipes » Fruit Recipes

    Published: Jun 30, 2013 · Last update: Jul 30, 2021 by Paula Montenegro
    Income from ads and affiliate links42 Comments

    Cherry Caipiroska - a vodka cocktail

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    Image collage of cherry caipiroska with text

    Cherry Caipiroska is a vodka cocktail made with fresh cherries and limes. Ready in 10 minutes, it screams to be made while the fruit is in season!

    Table of Contents Open
    About Caipiroska
    Fruit
    Simple steps
    What is muddling
    The ice
    Top tips
    Related recipes you might like:
    Cherry Caipiroska
    Ingredients
    Wooden table with glasses of cherry cocktail, limes and mint sprigs

    Me and cocktails, such as the cherry caipiroska here, we don't go way back.

    I never drank as a teenager and it was not until my thirties that I got interested in the red wine and fruit cocktail situation. I didn't make up for lost time, but let's say I became an expert at making a few favorite cocktails.

    About Caipiroska

    As mentioned above, it's a cocktail that contains vodka and is originally made with limes, sugar, and ice. Pretty much like a margarita or a caipirinha (a Brazilian drink).

    Modern versions include other fruits, because, let's face it, it feels like we're not drinking so much alcohol, doesn't it? There's fresh fruit in it after all. Anyway.

    Two glasses with cherry cocktail on wooden table, limes, purple napkins

    Fruit 

    Berries and stone fruit are always at the top of my list when it comes to adding fruit to drinks that already use limes and sugar.

    Strawberry caipiroska is one of the best, and probably the most popular, but we already have a Strawberry Passion Fruit Caipirinha in this blog.

    And they are pretty similar, except for the type of alcohol used. This recipe here is friends with vodka. I think cherries partner very well with vodka, hence this cherry caipiroska.

    Glasses with cherries on wooden tables, limes, mint and muddler besides them

    Simple steps 

    1. Put sugar and pitted chopped cherries lime and sugar in the glasses where you want to serve the drink (images 1 and 2).
    2. With a muddler (a bartender tool used to mash or muddle fruit, similar to the pestle) mash the fruit and sugar. It will start to release juices and become soupy (image 3). In the image above I am using a pestle (from the mortar) because I had no muddler. Shame on me! (you can insert whatever embarrassing emoji you want)
    3. Add vodka and ice (image 4).
    4. Drink before it waters down too much.
    Collage showing process for cherry cocktail. Glasses, cherries, lime, sugar, ice

    The main part of a cherry caipiroska is the muddling (a new word I learned from fellow blogger Liz, a recent caipirinha lover!) of the limes with the sugar.

    What is muddling

    It means that you put the lime wedges and the sugar in the bottom of the glass, and, with the right gadget, a muddler (not the pestle I borrowed from my mortar...) you crush both together, slowly and with decisiveness until both become best friends and you can't tell one from the other, sort of (second-row images above, left).

    This will bring out the oils in the lime peel and is essential for the cocktail.  And no, adding lime juice and zest is not the same thing. You have to muddle.

    In this case, cherries were thrown into the party too. Cherry caipiroska baby.

    Then you add ice, almost filling the glass, and then the vodka. And then you need something to stir, like a cocktail straw. Or a wooden spoon, like I did here. So you stir until it's all purple and mixed (images below).

    Yeah, a pestle instead of a muddler and a spoon instead of a straw. The horror, I know. I understand if you don't take me seriously.

    Collage of glass with ice and cherry juice, and filled with vodka and lime

    The ice

    Now. About the ice and the vodka.

    If you add very crushed ice, the kind that will dissolve in a mere minute because the rest of the stuff in the glass is at room tº, your drink will be watered down too fast and five minutes later you will have no interest in it. 

    If you add big rocks of ice, you'll have to stir for five minutes first, before starting to sip it. And you might drink almost straight vodka instead of the caipiroska we're aiming for here. 

    So medium ice works. I used home ice because this is a homemade drink.

    I know, I really should get myself the right utensils if I want to talk about drinks.

    Top view of glasses with cherry cocktail and lime on wooden table

    Top tips

    • Cherries: choose fruit that is sweet and flavorful. You can add some fresh mint too and muddle it with the cherries.
    • Ice: I use regular ice from my home freezer. But if you have access to more professional larger ice cubes so much the better. They last more so the drink takes longer to water down.
    • Glasses: use glasses that can hold everything and have a flat base. You need it to muddle without breaking it (seriously, it almost happened to me once). Don’t use martini glasses for example.
    • Fruit: you can use other fruits, but sweet in-season cherries are wonderful. Be careful not to add too much. Test it with one drink. You should taste both the fruits and the liquor. If you use too much fruit you won’t have enough space for the ice and the balance will not be right. I have made it with strawberries and passion fruit too. It is fabulous.
    • Personal taste: adjust sugar, ice, and vodka to your taste (image below, before adding the liquor). And use that ratio as a guide no matter what fruit you use.
    • Sweetener: you can use simple syrup instead of the sugar. To make it, simply heat the same amount of sugar and water (½ cup of each for example), and when it comes to a boil remove it from the heat. Let cool completely and keep refrigerated.

    Related recipes you might like:

    • Strawberry and Passion Fruit Caipirinha
    • Cherry Crumb Pie
    • Easy Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake
    • Cherry Crisp Recipe: traditional and gluten-free versions!

    Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it, and if you had issues, so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here, it's much appreciated.
    You might also consider subscribing to our FREE email series to Boost your Home Baking Skills! And our regular newsletter.
    And let's connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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    Wooden table with glasses of cherry cocktail, limes and mint sprigs

    Cherry Caipiroska

    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

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    Cherry Caipiroska is a vodka cocktail made with fresh cherries and limes. Ready in 10 minutes, it screams to be made while the fruit is in season!

    • Total Time: 20 minutes
    • Yield: 2 drinks 1x

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 12 to 15 pitted fresh cherries
    • 4 or 5 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 lime (cut into 6 wedges)
    • Vodka (about 4oz.)
    • Ice
    • Fresh mint (optional)
    • Cocktail straws (to serve)

    Instructions

    1. Divide cherries and sugar between two glasses. Add two wedges of  lime to each, (and mint if using) and, with a muddler, start crushing the fruit with the sugar, until it becomes syrupy. Do this slowly and take your time. It's the base of the drink.
    2. Add ice to almost fill the glass, and then pour about 2 oz. vodka in each glass.
    3. Stir, decorate with a mint sprig or lime wedge, and serve.

    Notes

    • Ice: I use regular ice from my home freezer. But if you have access to more professional larger ice cubes so much the better. They last more so the drink takes longer to water down.
    • Glasses: use glasses that can hold everything and have a flat base. You need it to muddle without breaking it (seriously, it almost happened to me once). Don’t use martini glasses for example.
    • Fruit: you can use other fruits, but sweet in-season cherries are wonderful. Be careful not to add too much. Test it with one drink. You should taste both the fruits and the liquor. If you use too much fruit you won’t have enough space for the ice and the balance will not be right.
    • Personal taste: adjust sugar, ice, and vodka to your taste (image below, before adding the liquor). And use that ratio as a guide no matter what fruit you use.
    • Sweetener: you can use simple syrup instead of the sugar. To make it, simply heat the same amount of sugar and water (½ cup of each for example), and when it comes to a boil remove it from the heat. Let cool completely and keep refrigerated.
    • This is the homemade way of making this drink. If you have a cocktail shaker, use it to mix the muddled fruit with the vodka and the ice.
    • Author: Paula Montenegro
    • Prep Time: 20
    • Category: Drinks
    • Method: Mixing
    • Cuisine: International

    Keywords: cherry drink, cherry caipiroska

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Family Foodie says

      July 02, 2013 at 12:24 am

      This is the perfect cocktail for a BBQ. Love the cherries and lime, and it is such a pretty color!

      Reply
    2. Katy says

      July 01, 2013 at 8:41 pm

      Caiprinhas are one of my favourite cocktails (though they taste better on a beach in Brazil than in rainy London!) but I think these caiprioskas may overtake them! Beautiful!

      Reply
    3. yummychunklet says

      July 01, 2013 at 3:58 pm

      Great looking drink!

      Reply
    4. Soni says

      July 01, 2013 at 2:39 pm

      Loved reading your post!I was also a late drinker.Never drank during my college years, but enjoy it now although only on weekends :)This cocktail sounds fantastic with the cherries and lime!Love the colors and its going on my must try list 🙂

      Reply
    5. Gail Watson says

      July 01, 2013 at 10:33 am

      Deliciously divine! LOVE me some cherry cocktails! Muddling onward...

      Reply
    6. Anne ~ Uni Homemaker says

      June 30, 2013 at 9:43 pm

      Such a pretty and refreshing drink! I can go for one of these babies right about now to cool off. Thank you for sharing Paula.

      Reply
    7. Patty Price says

      June 30, 2013 at 9:28 pm

      Love this drink, I'll bet it's so good with the cherries-beautiful photos 😉

      Reply
    8. Guru Uru says

      June 30, 2013 at 9:06 pm

      Awww what a beautiful cherry vodka so gorgeous 😀
      Perfect to relax with!

      Cheers
      CCU

      Reply
    9. Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons says

      June 30, 2013 at 9:04 pm

      So, I've been wanting to try a caipirinha for years - ever since I first heard about them (probably on tv). The problem is, pretty sure I'm not going to find an authentic one in Detroit (haha), and if I make them at home, I'll have no idea if they taste like how they should taste. Maybe I'll just start with this caipiroska, because Michigan is famous for cherries, and they're just coming into season right now.

      Reply
      • wp_vknotes_admin says

        June 30, 2013 at 9:14 pm

        If you don´t find cachaça, you can´t make a caipirinha. However, vodka is everywhere, so you can always make a caipiroska...!

        Reply
    10. Kitchen Riffs says

      June 30, 2013 at 8:05 pm

      Great take on the caipiroska! Love the addition of cherries - flavorful and so pretty! Good stuff - thanks.

      Reply
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