The Last Dance

Name: The Last Dance
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 oz tart cherry juice (100%); 2 oz black cherry juice; 1 oz fresh lime juice; 0.5 oz maple syrup (Grade A dark); Tiny pinch food-grade activated charcoal (optional); 2 oz soda water; Smoked salt, for half-rim; Ice (large cubes); Dark cherries, for garnish

A dark, smoky black cherry mocktail with smoked salt rim. Dramatic, mysterious, perfect for late-night date nights.

By Larry Leo | Prep: 10 min | Servings: 2 | Difficulty: Medium

The Last Dance mocktail — dark cherry drink with smoked salt half-rim and cherry garnish in a rocks glass

Ingredients

4 oz tart cherry juice (100%)
2 oz black cherry juice
1 oz fresh lime juice
0.5 oz maple syrup (Grade A dark)
Tiny pinch food-grade activated charcoal (optional)
2 oz soda water
Smoked salt, for half-rim
Ice (large cubes)
Dark cherries, for garnish

Instructions

Half-rim two rocks glasses: wet one side of each rim with lime and press into smoked salt.
Place a large ice cube in each glass.
In a shaker, combine tart cherry juice, black cherry juice, lime juice, maple syrup, and optional charcoal with ice.
Shake for 10 seconds.
Strain evenly into the prepared glasses over the large cubes.
Top each with 1 oz soda water.
Garnish with a dark cherry on a pick. Serve with intention — this drink has presence.

Category: date-night

Tags: date-night, romantic, cherry, smoky, dark, mysterious, dramatic, nightcap