Sip Your Cherries

Rainier cherries for the cooler

It’s been a wet summer. The sun came out today first time this week. I packed a tote and ran to the park, trying to beat the rain. Now I lay here and feel it on my arms, along with ripened mulberries that fall around me like confetti. Above me a squirrel feasts away. On days like these, I crave something sunny and bright to lift me up and take me back to the sticky summers in the Dominican Republic, playing  outside the whole day and cooling off with a vigorous dip in the neighborhood pool. It also  reminds me of fruit from home: guanábana –soursop– green and spiky with white creamy flesh, mangoes from Baní bright and sweet as candy, cherries, tiny tart and tangy that we used to blend into juice.  Inspired by care-free days and Mexican Aguas Frescas(refreshing drinks of fruit and water), I’ve taken plump Rainier cherries bursting with antioxidants and vitamin C, and prepared something that cools you off and lifts you up, perfect for those rainy summer days.

Cherry Cooler

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cherries (your favorite kind will do)
• 2 cups of drinking water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ice

Preparation:

Pit cherries(I smash them with the side of a knife and pull the pits out). Blend with water and sugar. Pass through strainer to remove skin. Pour over a glass full of ice. Cheers!