December is here! We love how cherry season in the Cape coincides with the festive period. The deep ruby red of the cherry and the green of the thyme scream holidays to us. This cherry and thyme cocktail is just slightly sweet, has a delicate cherry flavour with a hint of earthy thyme and is perfect to bring on the cheer.
We have always celebrated Christmas and New Year in splendour: from the decorated Christmas tree to the end-of-year dinners with tables brimming with food and drinks. This period never fails to lift our mood and spirit. And boy do we need some extra cheer this year! Consequently, we have embraced the festivities earlier than usual, starting with this cocktail.
This cherry and lemon thyme cocktail looks radiantly festive. It can be made with or without any alcohol. To make things better, it is refreshing, easy to make, and it requires but a handful of ingredients.
QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT CHERRY AND LEMON THYME COCKTAIL
Can I make a non-alcoholic version?
Absolutely! Simply skip the rhum/gin.
I prefer my drinks sweeter. How can I sweeten this cocktail?
Add more sugar to the cherries at the start. Alternatively, add a 1:1 sugar to water simple syrup to the drink (as sugar dissolves slowly in cold beverages).
Cherry and Lemon Thyme Cocktail
Ingredients
- 12 ripe cherries
- 2 tsp sugar
- 4 sprigs lemon thyme or regular thyme
- 180 mls (4 servings) rhum/ gin (around 12 tablespoons)
- tonic water
- ice cubes
Instructions
- Cut 8 cherries into quarters and remove the seeds.
- In a small bowl, add the sugar and thyme springs to the quartered cherries and mix gently.
- Allow this mixture to sit for 15-20 minutes. The sugar will draw out some of the juices from the cherries.
- To the serving glasses, add a handful of ice cubes, around 8 of the quartered cherries, a sprig of thyme and some of the cherry juice from the bowl.
- Pour over the rhum, top with tonic, add a whole cherry for decor. Enjoy cold.