Sour Cherry Gin Cocktail

The cousin of the more popular sweet Bing or Rainer cherries, these tart, almost transparent cherries make great desserts, preserves, and of course, cocktails. This cocktail is a perfect way to use any leftover cherries after making a pie or other tasty treat since it only requires a few of them.

Drinking in Season: Lillet Rouge and Cherry Cocktail

Cherries are in full force at the market; the only hard part is choosing between deep burgundy Bing cherries and the lightly blushed Royal Anns. To get in the summer spirit, I've been making a sangria-like mixture of the aperitif Lillet Rouge with gin and cherries.

Brandied Cocktail Cherries

You can think of this recipe as a template, and you can alter it according to your tastes.

DIY Cherry Liqueur

Fresh, sweet summer cherries transform into something deeper in this simple cherry liqueur.

Tangy Cranberry–Black Pepper Shrub Cocktail

Back in colonial days, a shrub syrup was the best way of preserving fruit without refrigeration. This autumnal cocktail gets its sweet-tart flavor from a shrub made with cranberries and spiced with black pepper. Its tangy flavor counterbalances a meal's richer flavors, and the shrub is great for parties, since it can be prepped in advance. For guests who aren't drinking booze, mix the shrub with chilled sparkling water instead of wine.

DIY Cherry Bitters

Swapping in cherry bitters for Angostura bitters can give your cocktails a subtle yet delightful boost, adding a hint of fruit while still delivering the bitterness your drink needs. The best part about making your own is you can customize your bitters to your cocktailing needs.

Barrel-Aged Cherry Soda

If you can barrel-age cocktails, why not barrel-age a mocktail?

Sour Cherry and Lavender Sorbet

Go slowly with the salt and lime juice, adding just a bit at a time. You may need more or less depending on your cherries, though keep in mind that flavor intensity dials down when frozen. If you want your sorbet to taste like a 10, flavor the base up to 11. If you can't find sour cherries, you can use their sweet counterparts; just up the acidity to keep things tart and refreshing.

Strawberry-Mint Sparkler

Juicy summer strawberries are combined with tart lime juice and bright mint in this sweet and sour effervescent vodka cocktail. It's light, not too sugary, and eminently day-drinkable.

Drinking in Season: Blood Orange Daiquiri

Looking for a little pick-me-up after the holidays, I decided a daiquiri—which is traditionally made with lime juice, rum and sugar—would be the perfect candidate for a little winter experimentation. The blood orange juice gives the cocktail a lovely red hue and brings a bright flavor to the drink.