Cherry Vanilla Rum and Coke

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You are probably thinking, rum and coke, that is not very imaginative.  How about when it is made with homemade cherry rum?  I have you back with me, right?  Even though a traditional rum and Coke is not that creative, it is so refreshing on a really hot summer day.  This recipe for Cherry Vanilla Rum and Coke is not only imaginative but it is perfect on a hot summer day.  

 

When I was in my teens, my friends and I would walk to the local burger joint called the Krazy Kone every day after school.  We would sit and drink sugary vanilla cokes and eat salty fries dipped in special sauce, while we waited for that “cute guy” to come by.  With hopes that he would talk to us. I am not sure what I enjoyed more, the creamy vanilla coke or when that “cute guy” smiled my way.  Either way, that was the first time I was really introduced to flavored cokes.  We are not soda drinkers at home, but, when I do occasionally grab for a sugary drink it is usually a black cherry soda.  Slightly nostalgic of my youth.

Remember the eight pounds of cherries, well, I had to do something with them besides stuffing them into our mouths and baking desserts.  I have been playing with vodka and different citrus, so I figured why not do something with cherries.  The thought of cherry vodka was not that exciting, so I dug through the booze stash and grabbed a bottle of spicy rum.  

The process is simple and only takes a week.  Wash the cherries, pit them (now I am thinking I will try it with pits next time), toss them into a large jar and pour in the rum.  Put the jar into a cool and dark cupboard and forget about it;  except to flip it over every couple days.  In a week, you have spicy cherry rum.

Now the cola part.  I tried three brands of cola for this recipe, two natural unnamed brands and the standard Coke.  The unnamed brands were good on their own, they just did not work with rum and lime.  They were too flat, not enough fizz.  So I went with a regular Coke Cola.  Just enough sugar to cut through the rum and plenty of fizz to keep the drink refreshing, and interesting.  Where does the vanilla come it?  Just a dab of vanilla paste is swirled in the glass of rum, right before splashing with coke.

 

Recipe:  Cherry Rum

Ingredients:

fresh cherries, enough to fill a quart-sized mason jar

bottle of your favorite spicy dark rum 

How To:

Wash and dry the cherries.  Pit the cherries.

Fill the mason jar with the pitted cherries, pour the rum into the jar to cover the cherries;  give a couple good shakes and then put the jar into a dark but cool cupboard.

Every other day, give the jar a good shake and then put it back on the shelve.

After a week strain the cherries from the rum.

Enjoy with your favorite rum drink or make our cherry vanilla rum coke.

Recipe:  Cherry Vanilla Rum and Coke

*makes one drink

Ingredients:

2 ounces of cherry rum

1/2 can coke cola

1 lime slice

1/8 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

ice cubes

How To:

In a small cocktail glass put a couple of ice cubes;  add the rum and stir a drop of vanilla bean paste into the rum.

I use the tip of a knife to get the amount of paste I want to use.

Pour the coke over the rum and ice, squeeze half a lime into the glass and give a quick stir.

I use the squeezed lime and rub it around the rim of the glass.

Garnish with a piece of lime.

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