Cherry Vanilla Daiquiri

Recently, we were out at a bar that offered a Cherry Vanilla Daiquiri as part of their cocktail menu. As big daiquiri consumers, we couldn’t resist trying it. While the cocktail was not a bad one, it didn’t have nearly as much cherry or vanilla flavor as you might expect from a cocktail with that name. We liked the idea so much that we pulled out some bottles when we got home and got to work on our own version.

This Cherry Vanilla Daiquiri starts with Cana Brava rum, one of our favorite daiquiri rums (it is excellent for cocktails in general), lime juices and Cherry Heering liqueur. The Cherry Heering gives the cocktail a bright red flavor and a rich cherry flavor, since the liqueur is naturally flavored with real cherries. We found that a vanilla-infused simple syrup was just the thing to tie all the ingredients together, leaving us with a great daiquiri that also had a fantastic cherry vanilla flavor.

If you don’t have vanilla-infused simple syrup in your kitchen/bar, you can make some by adding a split-open vanilla bean to about 2 cups of simple syrup and leaving it to infuse for a few days. You can also add vanilla extract to your simple syrup as soon as you pull it off the heat to bring in some vanilla much more quickly. If you can’t wait for the syrup, you can also make this cocktail with vanilla extract and regular simple syrup: just adding 1/8 tsp vanilla extract to your mixing glass with the other ingredients and shake it all up.

Cherry Vanilla Daiquiri
2 oz Cana Brava Rum
3/4 oz Cherry Heering Liqueur
1 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz vanilla-infused simple syrup
or 1/8 tsp vanilla extract + 1/2 oz simple

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass or cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake vigorously until cold. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lime wheel and a cherry.