Black Cherry Whiskey Sour Cocktail

This Black Cherry Whiskey Sour Cocktail is here to simplify and elevate cocktail hours at your house. (Yes, hourS.) With a handful of smooth, simple ingredients, you'll be sipping this tempting concoction in mere minutes. Nothing frilly or stuffy about this pleasing mixed drink. Grab a glass, let's go!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Directions
• More Cocktail Recipes
• Cocktails for a Crowd
• How to Make a Mocktail
• Black Cherry Whiskey Sour

Ingredients

• Whiskey - We actually used Bulleit Bourbon (after all, we live in Kentucky, the birthplace of bourbon) in this recipe. But your favorite whiskey or bourbon will work great.
  
• Lemon Juice - Fresh lemon juice is preferred, but the juice in a bottle works in a pinch.
  
• Agave Nectar - Or your favorite liquid sweetener.

• Black Cherry Juice - We had no problem finding good quality black cherry juice at our local supermarket. Get unsweetened if you can. If you can only find sweetened cherry juice, leave out the agave nectar.
  
• Seltzer Water - Rachel prefers this drink with just a touch of seltzer, and Amy prefers mostly seltzer with just a hint of alcohol. That's the great thing about this drink, feel free to adjust quantities to your personal tastes.

• Cocktail ice cube - We purchased this cocktail ice tray and love it! The reason for large ice cubes in cocktails is so that it melts slower and therefore your alcohol will last longer without getting watered down. It's preferred, but not totally necessary.
  
• Cherry and lemon wedge - These make a pretty (and tasty) garnish. But a sprig of mint or an orange wedge work great. Use what you've got!

Directions

• In a short glass or Old Fashioned glass, pour in whiskey (or bourbon), lemon juice, agave, and cherry juice.
  
• Give a quick stir and add a large cocktail ice cube.

• Top with a little or a lot of seltzer water, depending on preference, and stir gently.
  
• Garnish with a cherry or lemon wedge.
  
• Enjoy!

More Cocktail Recipes

• Pineapple Tom Collins — Like a traditional Tom Collins, but sweetened with refreshing pineapple juice, perfect for Spring or Summer.
  
• Bailey's Irish Cream Mocha — Not technically a cocktail, but oh so delicious for a winter warm-up!

• Vodka Lime Seltzer — One of our most popular and simplest cocktail recipes. Perfect for making for a crowd.
  
• Coconut Gin Fizz with Agave, Lime and Ginger — The ultimate island cocktail!

Cocktails for a Crowd

This recipe can easily be adjusted to whet the whistle of a crowd. I've done the math for you. This amount will serve 10. Easily multiply from there! I like to serve cocktails like this in a drink dispenser to make it easy for a grab-and-go beverage.

• 2 ½ Cups Whiskey or Bourbon — This is the equivalent of 1.5 shots per serving
• ⅔ Cup Lemon Juice — Or about 5 fresh limes (plus more for serving)
• ½ Cup Agave Nectar — This will make it slightly sweeter, so feel free to adjust as preferred.
• ⅔ Cup Black Cherry Juice — More or less to taste.
• 2 ½ Cups Seltzer Water — (40 fluid ounces) Unsweetened is best.

If using a large pitcher or drink dispenser, serve with ice and cherries or lemon slices. Or to make a self-serve cocktail bar, serve items separately. I like to put fruit on these little skewers.

How to Make a Mocktail

Mocktails are gaining in popularity and for good reason! We love cocktail hour and we love the flavors, but sometimes we need to skip the alcohol so we can drive, get up early for work, or are partaking in dry January.

Turning this Black Cherry Whiskey Sour into a mocktail is super easy! Obviously skip the regular Whiskey and replace 1:1 with a "spiritless" whiskey, or non-alcoholic whiskey. Lyre's American Malt or Kentucky 74 are popular options that can be easy to find.

I've also heard people say that a strong-brewed barley tea has the same notes and flavors of traditional whiskey and can be used 1:1 in cocktails.

However you mix it up, feel freedom to play around until it tastes just how you like it!