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!
A fruity vodka cocktail
It was not until my thirties that I became interested in red wine and fruit cocktails. I didn't make up for lost time, but let's say I became an expert at making a few favorite cocktails.
What is Caipiroska?
This cocktail contains vodka and is originally made with limes, sugar, and ice, similar to a margarita. It's like a Brazilian caipirinha, but made with vodka, and is very popular in some Latin American countries. It is a unique cocktail that I personally love.
Modern versions include other fruits and interesting combinations like the strawberry passionfruit caipirinha.
How to make cherry caipiroska
- Put sugar and pitted chopped cherries lime and sugar in the glasses where you want to serve the drink (images 1 and 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)
- Add vodka and ice (image 4).
- Drink before it waters down too much.
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 decisively until they become best friends and you can't tell one from the other, sort of.
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.
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).
The ice
Now. About the ice and the vodka.
You need medium ice cubes.
If you add very crushed ice, it will dissolve in a mere minute because the rest of the ingredients in the glass are at room temperature, and your drink will be watered down too fast.
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.
Kitchen Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Cherries: choose sweet and flavorful fruit. You can also add some fresh mint and muddle it with the cherries.
- Ice: I use regular ice from my home freezer. But if you have access to larger, more professional ice cubes, so much the better. They last longer, so the drink takes longer to water down.
- Glasses: use glasses that can hold everything and have a flat base. You need them to muddle without breaking (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. Use that ratio as a guide no matter what fruit you use.
- Sweetener: you can use simple syrup instead of 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.
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Cherry Caipiroska (vodka cocktail)
Ingredients
- 12 to 14 fresh cherries, pitted and choppped
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges
- 4 ounces of Vodka
- Ice, medium-sized rocks
- Fresh mint, to serve
- Cocktail straws, to serve
Instructions
- Divide 12 to 14 chopped cherries and 4 tablespoons sugar between two glasses.
- Add 2 lime wedges 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.
- Add ice to almost fill the glass, and then pour about 2 ounces of vodka into each glass.
- Stir, decorate with a mint sprig or lime wedge, and serve.
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