Tart Cherry Lime Elixir

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of the Cherry Marketing Institute.

This sweet & sour cocktail has all the flavor of a refreshing cherry limeade, spiked with cherry vodka and filled with recovery-boosting 100% tart cherry juice.

I’m pretty sure I have created my ideal drink for all time. A recovery drink that’s spiked with booze? Yes, please. Here’s the thing, I loooove working hard. I’m kind of a freak like that, but I genuinely love to beat myself up a little so that I can have fun later. In fact, Long Run Day would not be complete for me if it didn’t end with a cocktail. Usually involving bourbon, but I made an exception. 😉

There have been a lot of studies lately connecting tart cherries and tart cherry juice to aiding recovery, reducing soreness and oxidative stress. Okay, so as much as I love working hard, I am not super in love with the feeling of being sore ALL THE TIME. Ever since I started crossfit, I keep waiting for the day when I’m not sore, and it just never happens, so I was super stoked to put tart cherries to the test!

I set out to make myself a little recovery drink. A cherry limeade type of thing (ummm also, I’d never had that before…it’s like I’ve been living under a rock), and it was AWESOME! Tart, lightly sweet, refreshing and delicious. After drinking my weight in glasses, I wanted to spice things up a little, so I turned it into a simple, cute little cocktail.

The ingredients are so simple: just pure tart cherry juice, freshly squeezed lime juice, simple syrup, and a splash of vodka. Now, normally I’m a girl who likes to taste my alcohol, but this drink is definitely on the milder side. You can always make it stronger, but it’s not meant to be a “hard” drink. It’s more like a sitting by the pool, relaxing, relishing in your accomplishments drink.

The recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, etc. because, let me tell ya, if you have friends over, they’re also going to want a glass…or seven.

Tart Cherry Lime Elixir

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 cups

Serving Size: 1 cup

Tart Cherry Lime Elixir

This sweet & sour cocktail has all the flavor of a refreshing cherry limeade, spiked with cherry vodka and filled with recovery-boosting 100% tart cherry juice.

Ingredients

For the simple syrup:

1 cup water
¾ cup sugar

For the cocktail:

1 batch simple syrup
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 cup water
1 cup 100% tart cherry juice
4 shots cherry vodka (or plain vodka)
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

To make the simple syrup, combine water and sugar in a medium pot. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove and cool completely.
To make the cocktail, whisk together simple syrup, lime juice, water, tart cherry juice, vodka and salt. Serve immediately over ice or store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Notes

This is also delicious as a nonalcoholic drink! If you are making it for kids or don't feel like drinking, just leave out the vodka and it will be equally refreshing and delicious!

http://www.arismenu.com/tart-cherry-lime-elixir/

To learn more about tart cherries and their benefits, check out ChooseCherries.com, or follow their Facebook / Twitter /Pinterest / YouTube!