BOURBON CHERRY LEMONADE

By BobD

Ingredients

• 4 cups Bing cherries--washed, stems removed and pitted (2 pints)
• 2 cups high-quality bourbon
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (reserve pod for another use or discard)
• 1 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 8 medium lemons)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 medium lemon)
• 1 cups simple syrup (made with equal parts sugar and water)
• Sparkling water

Preparation

Step 1

In a large container with a tight-fitting lid, combine the cherries, bourbon and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 days.

To make the cocktail:

In a pitcher, stir together the lemon juice, lemon zest, cup of the prepared bourbon-cherry juice, reserving the cherries, and the simple syrup. Pour into individual glasses, top with sparkling water, garnish with reserved cherries and serve immediately.