Grown up cherry cola

I’m still trying to use up the $1/pound cherries my sister-in-law found for me at the farmer’s market. I thought a cherry drink of some sort might be kind of fun and different. We had some amaretto left over from some cake or something I made a while ago. And since I love the combination of cherry and almond, I thought they might go well together. I cooked the fresh cherries and made a syrup, combined that with some amaretto and club soda, and it was delicious. It reminded me of a cherry cola (and I couldn’t get that Savage Garden song I heard so many times in my sister's car out of my head).  Enjoy!

Grown Up Cherry Cola (serves 2)

6 ounces (3/4 cup) amaretto
6 ounces (3/4 cup) cherry syrup (instructions below)
8 ounces (1 cup) club soda
Ice

Mix all ingredients in a large measuring cup or pitcher. Stir well. Pour into glasses filled with ice. I used vintage jelly jars I found recently.

Cherry Syrup (makes about 3/4 cup)

Pit about 3 cups of Bing cherries. Add to a saucepan with about ½ cup water (you can always add more if it evaporates too quickly) and about 1 tablespoon sugar depending on how sweet your cherries are.

Cook over medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to break up the cherries as they start cooking.

Cook for about 5-10 minutes or until cherries have lost most of their juices and the mixture has thickened a little.

Strain into a measuring cup and let cool.