Drink a Sour Cherry Gin and Tonic for Happy Hour

Sour cherries are like the unicorn of the cherry world. They're beautiful to look at. They have pale, red skin that's super shiny and they taste even better than they look. Sour cherries are the perfect balance between very tart and slightly sweet. They lend themselves to this all sorts of things well like pies, tarts and in my case, a gin and tonic. Unfortunately their window each year is very short--maybe 2 to 3 weeks at most. And in Los Angeles they can be crazy hard to find. Luckily I scored them at a small Armenian produce market that is always chock-full of beautiful fruits and veggies. If you can't find sour cherries, not to worry, this recipe works splendidly with the regular, ol' kind.

For years gin and tonics were my go-to drink at a bar; it's hard to mess them up! I do believe in seeking out tonic water; one that is made using real cinchona bark. A lot of brands use fake stuff to imitate that flavor which results in a weak tasting tonic water. And good gin, too. There are plenty of awesome gin brands that are super delicious and affordable.

This recipe begins with a sour cherry syrup being made. At the end of the syrup-making process, a bit of lime juice is added and I really think that brings out the delicious tartness in the cherries. It enhances something that was already there. These drinks are fragrant, tart and really refreshing. I can't tell you how much I loved drinking this on a 90-degree Los Angeles day.

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. She's a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.