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A dramatic dark-styled rocks glass filled with a deep cola-colored cherry coke margarita packed with ice, overflowing with glossy fresh dark cherries on stems, surrounded by scattered fresh cherries on a white marble surface, with two red Coca-Cola cans visible in the background against a black backdrop.

Cherry Coke Margarita

A bold on-the-rocks cocktail built with muddled fresh dark cherries, silver tequila, fresh lime juice, cherry syrup, and cold Cherry Coke poured over a full glass of large ice cubes. Garnished with whole dark cherries with stems crossed on top. Ready in under 10 minutes.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 8 minutes
Servings: 1 people
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Calories: 185
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 oz silver tequila Silver tequila lets the cherry and Coke flavors lead without the oak of an aged tequila
  • ½ oz fresh lime juice Always fresh-squeezed; bottled lime juice is flat and does not cut through the sweetness
  • ½ oz cherry syrup or maraschino cherry juice Deepens cherry flavor and contributes to the deep red color at the base of the drink
  • 6-8 fresh dark cherries, pitted (divided) 3-4 muddled in the base; remainder placed whole with stems as garnish on top
  • 4 oz Cherry Coke, cold Pour slowly over the back of a spoon to preserve carbonation; use the coldest available
  • large ice cubes Fill generously until ice sits at or slightly above the rim as shown in the image
  • 4-5 extra whole dark cherries with stems for garnish Piled on top with stems crossed as shown; thread loosely so they sit stable on the ice

Equipment

  • 1 short rocks glass or old-fashioned glass (10 oz minimum) The image shows a straight-sided clear rocks glass that shows the dark color from the side
  • 1 muddler or back of a sturdy spoon For pressing the fresh cherries until all the juice is released
  • 1 Bar spoon For the slow Coke pour over the back and for gentle stirring
  • 1 jigger or measuring spoons For accurate tequila and lime quantities
  • 1 Citrus juicer For fresh-squeezed lime juice
  • 1 cherry pitter Optional but makes pitting the garnish cherries significantly faster

Method
 

  1. Add the pitted fresh cherries to the base of a short rocks glass or old-fashioned glass with at least 10 oz capacity and press firmly with a muddler or the back of a sturdy spoon in a twisting motion, crushing each cherry until all the juice is released and the flesh has broken down into small irregular pieces.
  2. Pour the cherry syrup or maraschino juice directly over the muddled cherries and stir briefly with a bar spoon so the syrup combines with the fresh cherry juice into a concentrated deep red base layer; the base of the glass should look visibly stained dark red before any other ingredient is added.
  3. Fill the glass generously with large ice cubes until the ice sits at or slightly above the rim of the glass, packing them firmly so the ice pieces create the dramatic visual of the cherry-stained liquid visible through the glass from the side.
  4. Pour the silver tequila and fresh lime juice over the ice directly into the glass, allowing the liquids to flow down through the ice and begin combining with the muddled cherry base at the bottom.
  5. Stir gently with two or three slow turns of a bar spoon from the base upward so the tequila and lime begin meeting the cherry base without fully mixing into a uniform color before the Coke arrives; taste and adjust with extra lime if too sweet or extra cherry syrup if the lime is too sharp.
  6. Hold a bar spoon bowl-side down just above the ice surface and pour the cold Cherry Coke slowly over the back of the spoon so the carbonated liquid flows gently down the side of the glass rather than pouring directly onto the ice and losing fizz from the impact; pour until the glass is nearly full.
  7. Thread the stems of 4 to 5 whole fresh dark cherries loosely through each other so they form a small cluster, then position the cluster on top of the ice with the stems crossing at different angles as shown in the image so the garnish sits stable and looks abundant rather than a single cherry dropped in.
  8. Serve immediately on a clean surface with 2 to 3 extra whole cherries placed loosely around the base of the glass; the drink is at its best in the first 5 to 8 minutes while the ice is still whole, the Coke is still sparkling, and the cherry garnish is glistening from the cold surface.

Notes

Muddle the fresh cherries in the glass rather than a shaker so the juice stains the ice from below as the Coke is poured. Pour the Cherry Coke slowly over the back of a bar spoon to preserve the carbonation. Use the coldest Cherry Coke available for the least fizz loss during pouring. Serve immediately; the Coke begins to flatten and the ice melts quickly after the first 8 to 10 minutes.