This Lemon Cherry Martini is so pretty for any time of the year. It makes a great spring and summer drink but it also festive for Christmas or romantic for Valentine’s Day too. Its lovely sweet and tangy flavor will make it one of your new favorite cocktails.
This is a sexy cocktail to serve and instantly screams fun! We love to serve a specialty cocktail to guests when they arrive. I find it sets the mood and begins the evening on a fun note. Your guests will feel special receiving this libation.
For other great cocktails try our Mango Habanero Margarita or Fresh Raspberry Mojitos. The play of the sweet heat makes this a very fun libation!
Helpful Items for This Recipe
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Mikasa Cheers Martini Glass, 10-Ounce, Set of 4
24 oz Cocktail Shaker (comes with Stainless Steel Martini Shaker, Mixing Spoon, Muddler, Measuring Jigger, Liquor Pourers with Dust Caps, and more)
Cocktail Cherries (these are deep burgundy which is different than the maraschino cherry color)
What is in a Lemon Cherry Martini?
Simple ingredients yet just that little step above. Cherry Gin comes in a gorgeous red color already so you don’t need to add anything to get that perfectly wonderful fun red into your cocktail.
Limoncello, have you heard of this Italian liqueur before? It has a smooth and intense lemon flavor. It is very popular not only in cocktails but desserts also. Limoncello also can be sipped on its own or served on the rocks or with sparkling water, which makes a beautifully refreshing drink in the summer. It is mainly produced in Southern Italy. Many variations of this liqueur are available and you can also make your own recipe for Limoncello at home too. If you are making your own you can make it super tart to wonderfully syrupy.
Ingredients
Cherry Gin
Limoncello
Simple Syrup*
Fresh lemon juice
Garnish with a maraschino cherry
Add a splash of maraschino cherry juice if desired
How to Make a Cherry Martini
After you have made your simple syrup and it a has cooled, this cocktail takes only a minute to pull together. It is vibrant in color and taste with its punchy ingredients.
- In a cocktail shaker with ice-filled to about 1/3 add in the following:
- Cherry gin, limoncello, simple syrup, and fresh lemon juice.
- Cover and shake 10-15 times.
- Pour into a martini glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
- *To make simple syrup: In a small saucepan mix 1 cup of water and 1 cup white sugar. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved and then allow to cool.
- You can store simple syrup in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.
What is in the Original Martini?
An original martini consists of gin and vermouth and garnished with an olive or a twist of lemon. In the 1920’s the martini was all vogue. In addition to the gin and vermouth an aromatic bitters can also be added.
The amount of vermouth can vary from a couple of drops (this is how I liked my martini) to a 2:1 ration of gin to vermouth. You can even have a “Reverse Martini” and have more vermouth than gin. A dry martini is one made with less vermouth and that is how I like them. So a martini with only a couple of drops of vermouth I would call painfully dry, lol!
In the 1920’s the ratio was high for vermouth to gin but as time went on people used less and less vermouth.
Variations to the Original Martini
Variations to a theme, Bond, James Bond likes his martini with vodka and “shaken not stirred”. There is also a “wet martini” which is equal amounts of gin and vermouth. A “dirty martini”, is one with a splash of olive juice and served with an olive.
And then we come to variations like we have today! There are many cocktails served in this kind of glass that are called martinis or even have just the word “tini” attached like an appletini for example.
Most of the variations have little in common with the original but ours does have some similarities.
Same martini glass
Contains gin
Garnish on the glass
Served straight up
Shaken in a cocktail shaker
Bottom line is that it tastes good and this martini sure does. Like I said it would be perfect for an evening before dinner libation in the summer months as it would be served up at Christmas time with its festive red color. Cheers!!
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Lemon Cherry Martini
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Cherry Gin
- 1/2 oz. Limoncello
- 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup*
- 1/2 oz. Fresh lemon juice
- Garnish with a maraschino cherry
Instructions
In a cocktail shaker with ice-filled to about 1/3 add in the following:
- Cherry gin, limoncello, simple syrup*, and fresh lemon juice.
- Cover and shake 10-15 times.
- Pour into a martini glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Equipment
Notes
Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved and allow to
cool. You can store simple syrup in an air tight container in the refrigerator
for up to a month.
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