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cherry lemonade
My friend Nicole made up a couple of batches of this for a TV night a few weeks back, and it was rapidly guzzled down by all. The recipe is based on one for fizzy sour cherry lemonade found at epicurious.com; this version uses regular fresh cherries instead of frozen sour cherries.

2 lbs. fresh cherries
1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar, plus more to taste
1½ cups vodka, plus a splash more (you can also use gin if you prefer)
2 cups seltzer water, plus more to taste

serves 8

De-stem the cherries. Zizz the cherries (no need to pit them -- really) with a splash of vodka on low for a few minutes, until the skins have broken and it's gotten liquidy. Strain it through a sieve, pressing on the solids to get out as much juice as possible. Stir in the lemon juice and the sugar, stirring to dissolve the latter. Stir in the vodka and taste; if it's too tart, stir in some more sugar. Transfer to a nice pitcher. (At this point, the drink can be made ahead and chilled in the fridge).

When you're ready to enjoy your lemonade, add the seltzer water and give it a quick stir to combine. Taste -- if it seems too strong, add a bit more seltzer. Serve over ice; garnish with lemon twist.

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