Ingredients

serves 12

　　1 1/4 cups sugar

　　1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice (about 9 limes)

　　3 pounds Bing cherries

　　18 ounces best-quality black cherry or plain vodka

　　1 bottle (750 ml) sparkling water

　　

Step 1

Bring sugar and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool completely. (Makes about 2 cups syrup.) The syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 month.

　　

Step 2

Put lime juice into a medium nonreactive bowl. Halve and pit cherries; add to lime juice. Stir in syrup. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (up to overnight).

　　

Step 3

Stir cherry mixture and vodka in a large serving bowl. Fill 12 glasses with ice. Spoon 1/2 cup cherry-vodka mixture into each glass. Top off with sparkling water. Serve immediately.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group.Buy the full book from Amazon.