Name: Cherry Mint Vodka Spritzer Cocktail
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp Cherry Preserves; 4-6 mint leaves; 1 thin lemon slice; 1 Tbsp simple syrup; 1.5 oz vodka; Sparkling Lemonade – Regular or Pink; Lemon slices, mint leaves and whole un-pitted cherries (optional)

It’s lovely when you can make cocktails with fresh fruit but don’t limit yourself either; this Cherry Mint Vodka Spritzer is perfect using Cherry Preserves.

This post is a refresher…I refreshed the photos and want to share it again with you. I made this for friends last weekend and they said they had never noticed the recipe on my blog…hey, I can fix that! Hope you enjoy it the 2nd time around…isn’t love supposed to be lovelier?

I may never know what a marriage made in Heaven is like unless you count the fact that I’ve just started working with Sprouts. Yes, THE Sprouts! Just one of my favorite places to shop. I’ll be honest though, a few years ago when my favorite Albertson’s closed and the space was taken over by this place called Sprouts that I had never heard of; I was not a happy camper.

Still, like a good neighbor I gave them a chance and it’s turned into love. And I LOVE them. Their produce is the best, their meats are what fill my freezer and their personnel, no matter the store, are warm and friendly. A dream client for someone as picky as me who can only promote what I love!

And trust me, this Cherry Mint Vodka Spritzer is a dream too and one you can enjoy all year round because it uses Sprouts Organic Cherry Jam. I love me some cherries but they are both a short lived crop and let’s be honest…a pain too. I would pay double to find them pitted already, wouldn’t you?

Is it any wonder that we started working together with a cocktail? Go on chuckle if you must but I’m OK with the monikers; the Booze Queen, Queen of Cocktails and more. I take some pride in having started a revolution of sorts many years ago when I was one of the very first food bloggers to consider cocktails for my blog and did so in a big way; a weekly lovefest that is now copied by many and loved by many more.

Friday Cocktails holds a special place in my heart too; I have loved creating cocktails for friends and family for almost as many years as I have been making them food…even if I limited myself to just a chosen few recipes for a very long time. Today I’m far more inclined to create something new but some rules have always applied.

You know the KISS rule? Keep It Simple Stupid? Really the best one to remember for cocktails. I was recently at a vodka tasting and the place was filled with bartenders; many who were highly touted in their craft.

One was on his way to a national mixologist championship and I felt a true kinship when he said he didn’t bother with the current trend of homemade bitters and adding multiple fancy liqueurs to his cocktail creations.

Why should you when a couple of great ingredients can do the trick? You can make a wide range of great cocktails with no more than 5 ingredients; start thinking of jam as one of them!

Today’s cocktail is a great example of how a couple of simple components can make a great cocktail and one that is SO easy to make at home. Vodka, lemon, simple syrup and mint are mainstays for many drinks with the fruit adding the unique flavor component.

While fresh cherries would be sublime, let’s talk time. First you have to pit them. Enough said? But seriously, anytime you see a recipe for fresh fruit and you’ve got some jam on hand…try it instead; it’s why I keep a good assortment of Sprouts Organic Jams in my pantry and really how versatile can you get? Use some for breakfast in the AM and again with booze for Happy Hour!

Quite honestly this cocktail would be good with a variety of jams…pick your favorite and give it a go…and as always…Cheers!

PIN ‘Cherry Mint Vodka Spritzer’

Yield: 2 Cocktails