We’ve gone and handcrafted our first signature and awesomely official The W Cocktail, aka Sour Cherry Whiskey Cocktail, and it’s superbad as in super good! Check it out down below and find out how we did it. Cheers!

Sour Cherry Whiskey | Official Drink For The W

I thought long and hard about this cocktail, and I knew I wanted something fruity but not too sweet. I also craved citrus, so this cocktail creation is infused with subtle notes of lemon. And I wanted something a bit exotic and tropical. Lastly, since I love a good whiskey, I also knew it had to be a whiskey with sweetness and spice. It was a tall order, but not impossible.

The beginnings of this cocktail started to solidify when I purchased a bottle of Luxardo Sour Cherry Syrup at our local Home Goods. Like you, I was familiar with Luxardo cherries; they’re legendary. Still, I didn’t know they produced a sour cherry syrup, and I grabbed it with images of cocktails floating around in my head.

Suntory Whisky Toki is a Japanese blended whiskey known for its above par quality, coming at just under $40 it’s a steal and an excellent addition to your home bar. It has a flavor profile that’s one part bright and delicate smoke with notes of oak and honey, and one part sweet and spicy, which makes it an ideal whiskey to sip or create memorable handcrafted cocktails.

What You Will Need To Make Our Sour Cherry Whiskey:

Suntory Whisky Tori. Most reputable liquor stores should carry this whiskey, and it shouldn’t be hard to find. This whiskey distillation is unique and isn’t easily replaced with any domestic American whiskeys. However, here are few picks that are in the lighter leaning Scotch-like whiskey range: Nikka Coffey Grain, Glenlivet 12, or Bushmills Black Bush would be some of my top selections.

Luxardo Sour Cherry Syrup. This stuff is fantastic! If you know Luxardo Cherries, then you can already expect their syrup is going to be pretty good too! I can imagine myself creating quite a few cocktails with this yummy cocktail elixir. You can order it here or look for it at Home Goods.

Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice. When it comes to quality cocktails with citrusy lemon notes, then fresh lemon juice is going to be what you want to use, but for this cocktail, you don’t need a lot of it, just a mere 1/2 ounce with do you just fine. I wanted to lemon to be evident, but just barely and the freshly squeezed lemon juice brightens the sour cherry syrup.

Angostura Orange Bitters. This cocktail has a bit of sweetness, and like any well-crafted cocktail, it’s all about balance, and adding a few dashes of orange bitters does the trick. Bitters are potent, so tread lightly and keep it to only a couple of dashes. Don’t have orange bitters, both orange curaçao, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, and triple sec work also.

Ice. I used ice cubes to mix this cocktail in the cocktail tin, put used pebble ice in the cocktail glass. However, use whatever kind of ice you have on hand. Note, a single large cube or ball of ice works even better because of the slower dilution of water introduced into the cocktail from the larger sizes of ice.

French Tarragon & Lemon Slice Garnish. A little green herb and a wedge of lemon are nice visual touches because both garnishes contrast well against the deep red of the cocktail. However, the garnishes also provide additional flavor, and I particularly like the herbaceousness of the tarragon. I expressed the oil from the lemon wedge on the rim for an extra burst of citrus.

Guava Soda. Here’s where the fun begins with our first official, The W Cocktail. The guava soda is exotic and whimsical. A brilliant calamity of fizzy flavor that takes this cocktail to the next level. Can’t find Bundaberg sparkling fruit drink? Jarritas guava soda will also do in a pinch. (World Market carries Bundaberg Guava Soda)

The W Cocktail aka Sour Cherry Whiskey

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces Suntory Whisky Tori
1-ounce Luxardo Sour Cherry Syrup
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 dashes Angostura orange bitters
2 1/2 ounces Guava Drink
ice
French Tarragon & Lemon Slice Garnish

Directions:

Into a cocktail tin, over ice add Suntory Whisky Tori, Luxardo Sour Cherry Syrup, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and two dashes Angostura orange bitters.
Secure the lid of the cocktail tin and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
Strain into a standard rocks glass filled with ice. Top off with guava soda.
Express the oils from a heated wedge of lemon along the rim of the serving glass and toss the lemon into the cocktail.
Add a sprig of fresh French tarragon.
Serve.

Now that you have our official The W Cocktail recipe, there’s no reason not to treat yourself to this 100% yumlicious cocktail creation. A word of warning, it’s so good and goes down so easy, which spells a little bit of good-tasting trouble if ever there was such a thing. Cheers!

More drinks you should try:

Apple Ginger Sour Mocktail with Rosemary

Easy Sour Apple Margarita

Cherry Margarita Recipe

Guava Berry Whiskey Smash

Whiskey Sunset Cocktail

Frozen Cherry + Blackberry Mint Julep {virgin}