Homemade fresh sweet cherry lime agave syrup + champagne = sweet cherry lime fizz! Or sparkler?!
I had a hard time deciding… but let’s stick with fizz.
Fun fact: I used to think I didn’t like cherries because I thought all cherries were like maraschino cherries, which are the most disgusting things ever. Seriously, ever. They are worse then pulp in orange juice. BUT real fresh sweet cherries are amazing! So juicy and delicious! When I buy a bag, I can’t pit them fast enough.
Honestly though, whoever thought it was a great idea to defile the beautiful sweet cherry by drowning it in syrup is a horrible person. Maraschino cherries are overly sweet and syrup-y, plus the texture is mushy and artificial. Absolutely horrendous…
Okay, enough about my hate for maraschino cherries (seriously, never eat them again), lets talk about my new-ish found love for REAL sweet cherries! Tart cherries are fabulous as well but for this recipe we are talking about the sweet cherry! Here’s a simple overview of the difference between tart and sweet cherries, if you’re into learning.
SO I set out to make a champagne cocktail and I knew that I wanted to fancy it up with a homemade syrup. It’s cherry season here in Michigan so I figured that cherries would be the perfect base for my homemade syrup. Then I remembered this drink my sister used to always get at Sonic: the cherry limeade… so I decided that I would make a better cherry lime syrup to pair with my bubbly dry champagne (I like bruts, yummmm). And boom, the sweet cherry lime fizz was born!
These sweet cherry lime fizzes (? – idk lol) are sweet but not too sweet, refreshing, and oh so bubbly! The perfect cocktail for warm, fun-filled summer nights. Ready for the recipe?! Good, me too.
Ingredients
- 5 oz fresh sweet cherries, pitted and roughly chopped (I used bing cherries)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons agave
- 16 oz dry champagne
- extra pitted cherries + lime wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place pitted and chopped cherries on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet then roast them for 15-20 minutes or until soft/gushy/bursting with juices. Add roasted cherries to a blender then puree them until completely smooth, about 30 seconds to one minute. Transfer cherry puree to a small sauce pan, add lime juice and agave, whisk to combine. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat then let simmer until it's reduced by half, about 5-8 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove pan from heat, then transfer cherry lime agave syrup to a measuring cup. Allow to cool to room temp.
- Once syrup is cooled, divide it evenly between four champagne flutes (or coupes like me) then top each glass with 4 oz of champagne (or more lol) and extra cherries or lime wedges for garnish. Enjoy!
GUESS WHAT?! We are flying to Ireland today!!!!!!!!!!! OMG SO EXCITED.
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment or tag a photo #appetitesanonymous on instagram!! I’d love to see your cherry lime fizzes (? – idk still lol) in action. Peace, friends!
– a
p.s. you could totally sub out blackberries for fresh sweet cherries in this blackberry lemon pie and it would be amazing too!