I got really into sparkling mineral water a couple of summers ago. Not the canned fizzy water stuff that’s really popular, although when I worked in the office, I would get the syrup-free soda water from the soda machine when I wanted a little fancy water. But the heavier stuff. It’s thick, and bubbly, and tastes a little like rocks. Plus drinking it makes me feel like I’m on vacation.
I started to cut it with juice and lemonade over the winter. It makes a great spritzer. Mixed in with the rhubarb simple syrup I made a couple weeks ago, it’s like an Italian soda. With a tablespoon of syrup and cherries, it’s cherry soda. I’m not a soda person, usually, but it’s a great treat.
I saw Rainier cherries on sale in the store, and wanted to make something lasting with them. Pies use up so many cherries (like two pounds), and are usually gone in a few days. I don’t think I would appreciate cherry jam enough to justify the effort, plus I have so much rhubarb jam still. But cocktails cherries? Maybe. I don’t make that many mixed drinks at home, but it’d be nice to have around for when we have more people over. A topping for yogurt or oatmeal or rice pudding? Sure, that too. Plus, in smaller jars, I don’t have to worry about needing to use up the cherries too quickly, whatever I use them for.
After an unsuccessful trip to the kitchen store, I bought twelve individual 4-oz jars from my local market that were getting dusty on a top shelf. I used this recipe. It made 8 4-oz jars, plus about a pint that I put in a container for the fridge. On their own, the cherries in syrup are fairly sweet, but mixed with soda water, oh man. A tablespoon of cherries and syrup to a cup of soda water was my ideal ratio. Your milage may vary.
Rhubarb Season 