Hard Cherry Lemonade

I’ve had 3 bottles of cherry ginger beer sitting on my shelf for several months.  Every time I walk past them I hear them screaming at me, “uuuuuse meeee”.  And for the past few months I’ve ignored their plea. 

…..Until now.

I finally had enough time to devote a little thought to write a recipe that utilized the amazingness that is this ginger beer.  And just in time for the warmer weather and Memorial Day. 

This has to be one of the simplest cocktails I’ve ever made.  I mean, it comes together in under 5 minutes and is pure perfection. 

For those of you that are new, you must know that I’m obsessed with ginger beer and all it’s awesomeness.  It’s light, refreshing, crispy, with a hint of spice.  It’s perfect in mules, in fact, that’s how I was first introduced to it.  But it’s also great in mojitos and to brighten up several other cocktails.  And the other day, well, I used it to make a hard lemonade.

I came across this cherry version of one of my favorite beverages in the super market a few months ago.  It’s got all the flavors and characteristics I love about ginger beer but with a subtle cherry undertone.  This ginger beer is amazing and the perfect thing to add to lemonade.

So, when the temps dipped and the humidity subsided I whipped up this hard cherry lemonade.  Oh-mah-goodness, it was love at first sip. 

Fresh, tart lemon juice, crispy, slightly spicy, cherry ginger beer, a splash of rum and a sprig of mint come together in this perfectly delicious and refreshing hard lemonade.  This is one of those drinks that comes together in no time, but would be easy to multiply to make a big batch making it easy for serving a crowd. 

This hard lemonade is summer in a glass.  Refreshing, bright, fizzy and pretty. 

Hard Cherry Lemonade