Cocktails & serving · The home kitchen
Cherry Arak Gin Fizz
Fresh cherries make this fizz taste rounder and more vibrant than a drink built with cherry syrup alone. The Beiruty menu offers either arak or gin; this home adaptation keeps both options, with a smaller arak measure to leave room for its distinctive anise character. Lemon supplies the tart edge and a quickly mixed honey syrup softens it. Straining the fruit before adding soda gives a clean, sparkling texture. Use ripe, pitted cherries and cold ingredients, then assemble the drink at the last moment rather than batching it with the bubbles already added.
A home-style recipe inspired by our menu. Restaurant preparation, portions and ingredients may differ.
Make it at home
Cherry Arak Gin Fizz recipe
- Serves
- 1
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Rest / chill
- 5 min
- Total
- 10 min
Ingredients
- 45 ml Hendrick’s gin OR 30 ml Lebanese arak
- 5 fresh sweet cherries, pitted (about 35 g)
- 20 ml fresh lemon juice
- 10 ml honey
- 10 ml warm water
- 1 drop food-grade orange blossom water
- 75 ml chilled soda water
- 200 g ice cubes, divided
- 1 pitted cherry, to garnish
Method
Mix the honey with the warm water and orange blossom water until dissolved. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Crush the pitted cherries in a shaker with the lemon juice. Add the cooled honey syrup and your chosen spirit.
Add 100 g ice and shake for 12 seconds. Fine-strain into a tall glass containing the remaining 100 g ice.
Add the soda slowly, stir once and garnish with the extra pitted cherry.
Make it your own.
- Pit every cherry before muddling; a fine strainer removes skins but is not a substitute for removing stones.
- For the arak version, add another 15 ml soda if the anise flavor feels too concentrated.