Tart Cherry Spritz

This bright and refreshing spritz features the crown jewel of summer fruit—tart cherries. The fruit is mouth-puckeringly acidic when eaten raw, but surrenders this edge for a deeply concentrated and balanced cherry flavor when cooked. Making the concentrate for this spritz is as easy as simmering a handful of the frozen fruit with water and a touch of our Forest Juice for a nuanced sweetness. The mixture is then seasoned with a splash of unfiltered vinegar, we particularly love the selection from Tart Vinegar, and a touch of vanilla. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup pitted frozen tart cherries 
• ½ cup filtered water
• 2 tablespoons Forest Juice
• A small pinch of fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon unfiltered vinegar or lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Sparkling water and ice to serve 

Directions

1. Combine the frozen cherries, water, Forest Juice, and sea salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a voracious simmer over medium high heat and cook for 10 minutes, until the cherries are soft and the crimson liquid tastes vividly of the fruit. 
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar (or lemon juice) and vanilla extract. Refrigerate once the mixture is no longer scalding.
3. To make the spritz, add a generous 2-3 tablespoons of the liquid plus a few cherries to the bottom of a glass. Fill with ice, and then top off with sparkling water. Give it a good stir to evenly distribute the cherry juice concentrate.