Having an informal summer party? Make this delicious Summer Breezes Cherry Cocktail as your signature drink. Easy to prepare and deliciously drinkable.

Summer entertaining is in full swing!  Some gatherings are planned weeks in advance, with menus and detailed shopping lists.  Other gatherings are more laid back (those are my favorite kind) and casual.  Close friends or family, warm summer evenings either sitting around the campfire or maybe dining outside and enjoying nature.

We often have these impromptu summer gatherings.  Don’t let this fool you, just because they are more spontaneous doesn’t mean they are any less fun or less delicious though. A smaller group of friends and family means more fun sometimes and definitely more opportunity to interact.  When I start planning a smaller party I like to make it more personal, one way to do this is by having a “signature cocktail”. Something tasty, refreshing and themed.  This drink MUST be easy, as I’d love to enjoy my guests not be overly busy measuring and pouring.

Recently when shopping at my local ACME Market, a wonderful cocktail creation sprung into my head!  One that I thought would be great for a warm summer evening, just sipping and relaxing.  I like a mixed cocktail, just not the prep that goes along with them.  Starting a cocktail by mixing together a base such as: 7Up, Canada Dry or Squirt along with a liquor, gives you endless combinations. Adding in then perhaps something fun like frozen fruit ice cubes or even muddled fruit.  Muddled fruit sounds fancier than it really is.  One of those little secrets to fun entertaining that will earn you some brownie points for creativity but truth be told is so simple. Just mash-up the fruit in the bottom of the glass with the back of a spoon or in a bowl…shhhh that’s our little secret.   This is how the Summer Breezes Cherry Cocktail came about. After picking up the key ingredients of cherries, Jameson Irish Whiskey and Canada Dry Ginger Ale at ACME Market, I knew I was going to enjoy this micro party with minimal effort. If you don’t live near an ACME Market, do stop into your local Safeway/Albertsons to easily find the right ingredients for “the perfect mix” that you create.

Yield: 1 cocktail

Summer Breezes Cherry Cocktail

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Ingredients

• 1.5 oz. Jameson Irish Whiskey
• 3-4 oz. Canada Dry Ginger Ale
• 4-5 muddled cherries

Instructions

1. Muddle cherries and place in bottom of glass. Add Jameson Irish Whiskey and Canada Dry Ginger Ale. Serve over ice if desired.