Cherry Smash with Honeysuckle Vodka

The Cherry Smash with Honeysuckle Vodka is a favorite summertime cocktail. Calling for just six ingredients, this cherry vodka drink is easy to mix at home and so refreshing. Switch it up and use bourbon, rum or plain vodka in place of the honeysuckle vodka! Makes 1 cocktail.

Love cherry drinks? Check out Cherry Bourbon Slush and Cherry Lemonade Margaritas!

This Cherry Smash Drink was originally published July 19, 2017. It was updated and republished in June 2021.

When I was really young, we lived near a creek, which provided endless entertainment. We caught frogs and toads in it. We went fishing, and we snacked on honeysuckle there, too.

Honeysuckle is one of my favorite summertime flavors. It transports me back to childhood and those lazy summer days where I had nothing to do other than play.

And one of my favorite summertime cocktail additions is honeysuckle vodka, a delight I discovered in my hometown of Memphis, Tenn., a few years back.

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Why I love this recipe:

This Honeysuckle Cherry Smash is a nod to a drink my sister-in-law got at a local burger place when she and my mother-in-law were visiting a few weekends ago. (She ordered a Blackberry Smash that was just the right amount of booze-to-fruit and was perfectly minty, too.)

The next evening, we discovered some cherries in the kitchen and decided to make our own rendition of the drink—a cherry vodka drink!

This cocktail isn’t super sweet, so if that’s what you look for, you might want to try something else. The natural sweetness of the cherry, combined with the mint and agave, tastes like summer.

And when the honeysuckle vodka is added, it’s even more summery!

More summertime sippers to enjoy: Vodka Lemonade with Raspberry | Peach Margarita | Strawberry Moscow Mule | Spiked Watermelon Limeade | Blueberry Mint Juleps | Strawberry Honeysuckle Sparkler | Homemade Cherry Limeade

Looking for more drink inspiration? Head on over to my Cocktail Recipe Index for more ideas.

What you need to make a Cherry Smash with Honeysuckle Vodka

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• Metal muddler
• Cherry pitter
• Citrus juicer

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Cherries — fresh or frozen works, though if you’re using frozen cherries, you want them to defrost in the refrigerator so they can be muddled easily. They’ve got to be pitted before you put them into this drink, too, so keep that in mind!
• Mint leaves — there is no substitute here, and the mint adds a refreshing element, so please don’t skip it. Pick it out of your garden or purchase a bunch at the store if you don’t have it at home.
• Agave nectar — this adds just a hint of sweetness. You can omit it if you’re afraid the drink will get too sweet and drizzle at the end, if needed.
• Honeysuckle vodka — there are lots of brands for honeysuckle vodka these days. I really like Cathead’s Honeysuckle Vodka, but you can use whatever brand you can find. You can also make your own honeysuckle vodka if you’re feeling adventurous!
• Lemon juice — the freshly squeezed stuff is important here, so please don’t use the shelf-stable lemon juice from the store. Grab a 2-3 lemons to get the amount of juice you need.
• Ginger ale — we use this to top the drink, and it’s a delight. I like my ginger ale a bit spicier and have linked to my favorite brand, but you can use whatever you’ve got on hand, too.

Variations on this Cherry Smash recipe:

There are no hard and fast rules to making any cocktail a “smash” drink, so we get to pick and choose what we like as we go!

My friend Chrissie breaks this down a lot more eloquently in her post about a Peach Whiskey Smash.

Basically, a smash cocktail needs fresh fruit, a base spirit/alcohol, a splash of another non-alcoholic liquid like a club soda or ginger ale, mint or other herb and a sweetener, like simple syrup, agave nectar, honey or even sugar.

Here are some ideas for making this Cherry Smash unique to your tastebuds:

• Swap out the honeysuckle vodka for bourbon or whiskey, rum or a plain vodka.
• Instead of lemon juice, use lime juice instead.
• Switch out your sweetener. Instead of agave nectar, use the same amount of simple syrup or honey simple syrup.
• Make it a different type of fruit smash! Depending on the season, swap out the cherries for peaches, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, plums, etc. The world is your oyster!

How to make a Cherry Smash with Honeysuckle Vodka

In an old fashioned glass, add the pitted cherries and mint leaves. (Make sure those mint leaves are clean before you add ’em to the drink!)

Muddle the cherries and mint together until combined, then pour in the agave and muddle more.

Next, add the vodka and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Top with ginger ale, and give it a stir with a cocktail spoon.

Add crushed ice to the cocktail, garnish with a cherry and some mint leaves, and enjoy immediately.

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

This honeysuckle vodka drink would be an awesome, unique party sipper.

It’s fresh and tasty without being too sweet, and it’s something that can be enjoyed outdoors, which are two requirements for summertime entertaining for me.

Here are some ideas of how to serve these cherry vodka drinks to a crowd:

• Prep the ingredients in advance. Juice the lemons before guests arrive, and pit those cherries, too. If you’re feeling stressed, purchase cold pressed lemon juice from the store in the refrigerated section with pre-cut fruit.
• Create a Cherry Smash Bar. Print out this recipe, and set out the ingredients in labeled bowls and pitchers. Set out a jigger, the old fashioned glasses and a bucket of ice, and let guests make and garnish their own cherry drink.
• Make it into a pitcher! If you’re serving a large crowd, a pitcher is the way to go. However, this cannot be made in advance because the ginger ale will go flat. I recommend measuring out all the ingredients except for the ginger ale and putting them in the pitcher, then storing in the fridge until it’s time to serve guests. Top it with the ginger ale right before, and serve!

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick tips and tricks to the best cherry drink

• Use the best cherries! If it’s cherry season, use the fresh variety. If it’s not, defrost a bag of frozen cherries and use those instead.
• Don’t skimp on the mint. It adds such delightful flavor and crispness that you don’t get from the other ingredients.
• Use fresh lemon juice. It’s truly better than the shelf-stable lemon juice at the store.
• Swap out the alcohol for a different flavor! Use regular vodka, bourbon, whiskey or rum in this smash cocktail instead.

Want to make this cherry vodka drink at home? Scroll on down to mix it up!