Cherry Firecracker Cocktail

Let’s make it an extra festive 4th of July celebration with this shimmery Cherry Firecracker cocktail! Made with freshly muddled cherries and a cinnamon simple syrup and ginger beer topping for a firecracker kick, this patriotic cocktail is sure to be a summer party favorite.

Course Beverages

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Total Time 10

Servings drink

Calories 310kcal

Author Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Equipment

Small saucepan
Cherry pitter
Cocktail shaker
Muddler
Jigger or small measuring cup
Citrus juicer

Ingredients

Cinnamon Simple Syrup

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4-6 cinnamon sticks

Cherry Firecracker Cocktail

¼ cup fresh cherries pitted
1 ounce cinnamon simple syrup
2 ounces white rum
1 ounce Luxardo cherry liqueur
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice about 1 lime
Pinch of edible glitter recommend Sugar Mama Shimmer
Ice
Splash of ginger beer
Additional fresh cherries for garnish, optional

Instructions

Cinnamon Simple Syrup

In a small saucepan, add the water, sugar and cinnamon sticks over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occassionally to dissolve the sugar. Once it boils, allow to continue boiling for a minute or two.
Turn off the heat. Allow the mixture to steep for at least a couple hours, preferably overnight. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This syrup should last for a few weeks if stored properly.

Cherry Firecracker Cocktail

Add cherries and cinnamon simple syrup to a cocktail shaker. Muddle until the cherries break down and release their juice.
Pour in the rum, Luxardo cherry liqueur and lime juice. Add a pinch of edible glitter and a handful of ice. Put the cocktail shaker top on and shake vigorously for 15-30 seconds.
Strain into an ice-filled glass. Top with a splash of ginger beer and gently stir to combine. If desired, garnish with fresh cherries. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

To make this pitcher style for 12 servings, here are the measurements: 3 cups fresh cherries, 1 ½ cups cinnamon simple syrup, 3 cups white rum, 1 ½ cups Luxardo cherry liqueur, 1 ½ cups lime juice (about 12 limes), edible glitter as needed and 1 ½ cups ginger beer. You can muddle the cherries right in the pitcher, or if you'd rather not have fresh cherries bits, muddle in a mixing bowl and then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Simply mix together all the ingredients and add the ginger beer right before serving.
If you don’t have a muddler, you can use a larger wooden spoon. That said, with cherries, I do find an actual muddler is a bit easier to break down the fruit when it comes to cherries.
When picking lime, make sure you get the ones that aren’t hard. We want a little give when we gently squeeze the lime to ensure they’re nice and juicy.
Before juicing the lime, I like to firmly roll it on the countertop a few times to get the juice flowing.
A little bit goes a long way with the glitter. But if you want to show off this pretty drink on Instagram, you might want to add a touch more to make sure the camera catches the sparkles.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition