Day 2 of 12 Days of Christmas Cocktails! My mom loves cherries! You should have been there the first time I gave her a Luxardo Cherry… She thought they were just over priced cocktail cherries until she finally tried one and she went silent, closed her eyes, and made this noise of pure joy! I made this drink just for her and every other cherry lover out there! Please enjoy for the holidays!

1oz Remy Martin 1738

1oz Luxardo Cherry Liqueur

1oz Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth

0.25oz Spiced Syrup

0.25oz Lemon Juice

Few Dashes of Aromatic Bitters

Garnish: Luxardo Cherry and Lemon Peel

Take a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Pour in all your ingredients and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass. Garnish with a Luxardo Cherry at the bottom of the glass and an expressed lemon peel on the rim. Cin cin!

Notes: I won a bottle of Remy Martin 1738 from a holiday raffle for work and that is the reason I used it for this cocktail because I already had it on hand. If you are feeling yourself and love sipping on cognac treat yourself to a bottle. It’s amazing. But, if that’s just not your thing, whether you have a budget or you don’t want to use something so nice for a party (I do this! No shame! I never use something expensive for a party because most won’t appreciate the difference), then don’t buy it. My suggestions for more affordable cognacs are Remy Martin VSOP or Hennessy VS, and for the budget buy an inexpensive brandy such as Korbel or Christian brothers. You can also use the more affordable Dolin Vermouth Rouge instead of Carpano. I like both but one is roughly $17 for a split and the other is $13 for a 750ml. The one thing I do insist on is Luxardo or Amarena Fabbri Cherries. They are pricey, but they are completely worth it!