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Let us introduce you to this sweet, tart and juicy cherry cocktail.
About the cocktail
You know what’s weird? Despite their popularity, fresh cherries don’t show up in cocktails that often. This juicy and decadent fruit shows up each summer, rolling in like seasonal royalty. But now, Andie Bulley of Sydney’s The Waratah has gone and turned them into one hell of a cocktail – the Blinker. The name Blinker might ring a bell as this is already a well-known cocktail. A stiff dry mix of rye whisky, pink grapefruit juice and grenadine, it's a perfectly fine cocktail as it is. But Andie’s fun, cherry twist? It slaps. “I wanted to take the classic Blinker and reframe it with seasonal Australian fruit,” Andie explains. “Cherries and honey felt like the perfect way to layer richness, acidity, and texture.” Subbing out the grapefruit’s sharp, bitter edge, Andie takes a left turn. Fresh cherry and raspberry purée steps in, backed by lime juice and a good lick of Johnnie Walker Black Ruby. “I used Johnnie Walker Black Ruby because it gives the cocktail a red fruity character, which is hard to emulate,” says Andie. But the real hero? It has to be those fresh cherries. “The cherry element makes it stand out. Whether it’s purée or muddled, it gives a natural fruitiness that balances the honeyed richness,” Andie says. “It’s approachable for whisky drinkers, but also accessible for people who don’t normally reach for whisky.” The resulting cocktail is smoky, jammy, tart and lush, with the honey syrup giving it a delightful, silky roundness on the palate.
Watch: How to make the Blinker
Ingredients
45mL Johnnie Walker Black Ruby 15mL lemon juice 15mL honey syrup (see tips) 15mL cherry and raspberry puree (see method) Garnish: skewered raspberry Glass: coupe
Method
To make your puree, pop equal parts cherries (fresh or preserved) and raspberries into a blender and blitz until it’s a smooth consistency. Consider scaling up this mix to make extra as it will keep in the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer for up to three months Add the puree to a cocktail tin Add in your Black Ruby, lemon juice and honey syrup, and stir to help it emulsify Fill the tin with plenty of ice and give it a quick shake Double strain into a chilled coupe glass Garnish with a skewered fresh raspberry
Andie’s top tips
We may have carried on a bit about the importance of fresh cherries, but if it’s not cherry season and those Christmas boxes are a distant memory, preserved cherries will do the job just fine. PSA: not the glow-in-the-dark maraschino kind. Think darker and earthier preserved cherries, like morello cherries, which you can find in a tin or jar at the supermarket (save the glacé cherries for your fruitcake). You can work with frozen raspberries, too. Another piece of advice? Make sure you use good ice in the shaker. We’ve yammered on about the value of quality ice here, but essentially, the better the ice the better the cocktail. “Use good ice so you don’t over-dilute the cocktail,” says Andie. “But if you’re using good ice, don’t over-shake – about 10 to 12 seconds is all you need.” While we’re at it, be sure to double-strain this bad boy. With all the blitzed fruit bits from the purée, you want to ditch the gunk while keeping every last drop of juice – no one wants a mouthful of pulp. All that’s left? Chuck on some Frank Sinatra – Andie recommends The World We Knew – and grab whatever salty snacks you can find for a good time.
Member Offer
$65 per bottle Non-Member: $68.99 each
