I took the kids cherry picking today and it was er... a fruitful outing indeed. We came home with a whopping 20lbs of fresh cherries! I think it's safe to say this was about 15lbs more than I anticipated.

As I'm mulling over, or rather panicking about, all the possibilities for utilizing this bounty, I had the good fortune of stumbling across a cocktail recipe from one of my favorite SF Bay Area chefs/cookbook authors - Joanne Weir.

This sounds like the perfect accompaniment to the incredible Mexican food at her new restaurant in Sausalito - Copita. Now I only have 19.5lbs of cherries to go - perhaps I'll make an infusion or two - or twelve.

Fresh Cherry Margarita

12 fresh sweet cherries, pitted
1-1/4 fl. oz. (2-1/2 Tbs.) tequila, preferably blanco 100% agave
1 fl. oz. (2 Tbs.) fresh lime juice
3/4 fl. oz. (1-1/2 Tbs.) agave nectar, preferably dark
1/2 fl. oz. (1 Tbs.) maraschino liqueur
1 fresh sweet cherry with stem, for garnish

Put the cherries in a cocktail shaker and mash them with a muddler or the end of a wooden spoon until well crushed, about 1 minute. Add the tequila, lime juice, agave nectar, maraschino liqueur, and 8 large ice cubes. Cover the shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Immediately strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with the cherry.

¡Salud!