Sweet Cherry & Apple Thyme Mocktail Recipe
Today we are making a Sweet Cherry & Apple Thyme Mocktail Recipe! This is quite the refreshing drink – the unique flavors of fresh apples combined with dark sweet cherries, stirred on the stovetop until the juice is easily squeezed out, mixed with lime juice and infused for a few hours with thyme!
It’s unique, you can serve it at a party during the holiday season, another special occasion or have these fruity flavors as the perfect companion during weekend cocktail hours. Plus, since dry January is right around the corner, having some non-alcoholic drinks on hand if you’re participating when happy hour rolls round (or maybe your friends are) is a great way to try something new! Either way, you’ll love this recipe, and it’s the perfect drink to customize to the different herbs or fruits you may have on hand!
A Few Simple Steps
So this recipe doesn’t actually contain any water or base liquid to mix the fruit and herbs into. Instead, we make fresh apple juice in a juicer first. Then on the stove, we’ll mix together the lime juice with the frozen cherries, until the cherry juice stats to come out. You’ll have to keep pressing them down into the pot to smash them up and squeeze out that excess fruit juice. After that step, we mix it all together with some fresh thyme. You can eat the remaining apple and cherry pulp too avoid food waste, or compost it!
Why You’ll Love This Sweet Cherry & Apple Thyme Mocktail Recipe
Flavor Fusion Magic: The combination of simple ingredients in this drink is something you won’t find at your local juicery or bar. Imagine the sweet juiciness of cherries with the crisp and tart apple flavor. Infusing the thyme makes it even better, especially after letting it sit for a few hours to really get that herb-y goodness in.
Simple Elegance: No alcohol? No problem! Mocktail recipes are now in – we all love a recipe that looks and tastes fancy but doesn’t require a chemistry degree to make, right? This mocktail is a breeze to whip up, making it the perfect go-to for those moments when you want something extraordinary without the extra effort. I mean … I’m no mixologist but after making this non-alcoholic drink, I’m ready to go for gold … maybe?!
Substitutions
Frozen Cherries: Dark, sweet frozen cherries are different than the regular store-bought, fresh cherries that are not in the frozen aisle of the grocery store. The frozen cherries are picked when they are ripe, and are of a different variety than room temperature cherries. They taste a lot sweeter, so the recipe requires no sugar (or just a little extra sweetener, if desired).
They’re also offered year-round, whereas regular cherries are only available in stores during certain times of the year.
However, if you can only get your hands on fresh cherries, you can taste test the drink and add in some pure maple syrup or agave nectar as a liquid sweetener, before refrigerating. If you do add this in, make sure to give the drink a good stir after removing from the refrigerator, in order to mix together any sweetener that sits on the bottom of the pitcher.
Apple: Substitute with green apples instead of red apples for a more tart drink. You can also try yellow apples instead of red, but the flavor will be slightly different.
Lime: Substitute with fresh lemons. For best results, use ripe, juicy fresh limes as opposed to pre-bottled lemon or lime juice. Those usually contain preservatives and have a more acidic taste.
Thyme: Try using some other fresh herbs, such as fresh mint or another one you enjoy instead of thyme. Basil or rosemary might lend an interesting flavor here, but I haven’t tried it.
Sweet Cherry & Apple Thyme Mocktail Recipe Notes
- Make this drink alcoholic by adding in a splash of your favorite alcohol when serving.
- Add in a splash of tonic water, mineral water, club soda or ginger ale if desired.
- Make sure to refrigerate this drink for at least 2 hours as stated in the recipe card, if not more. Otherwise, the flavor of the thyme won’t shine through!
More Recipes You’ll Love
Orange Jalapeno Margarita Mocktail
If you make this Sweet Cherry & Apple Thyme Mocktail Recipe, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!
Sweet Cherry & Apple Thyme Mocktail Recipe
Equipment
- Juicer
- Stovetop Pot
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 4 medium red apples juiced
- 2 cups frozen sweet cherries
- Juice of 2 fresh limes
- 8 fresh thyme sprigs
- 4 lime wedges to serve
Instructions
- Add the apples to a juicer. Use up all the apples to make fresh apple juice. You can cut the apples in half to make them easier to add in. Set the juice aside when done.
- To a stovetop pot over low heat, add in the sweet cherries. Stir them around with the lime juice, squishing them to get the juices out.
- After 10 minutes, the frozen cherries should be very soft. Turn the heat off and strain the mixture into a small pitcher.
- Use a sieve and a spoon to squeeze out as much juice as possible.
- Add the fresh apple juice to the pitcher. Add in the fresh thyme as well.
- Place the pitcher in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, remove the thyme from the pitcher and pour the juice into 4 serving cups. Place a lime juice in each glass when serving.
- You can opt to add some fresh thyme when serving for color, or remove it completely. Enjoy!
Notes
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Storage
- Store in a covered pitcher in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
