We are so in love with this Cherry Bakewell Spritz cocktail recipe! It combines the gorgeous, sweet almond and cherry flavours of Amaretto with the juniper of gin and the sumptuous port and tonic profile of Pedrino Ruby & Tonic Spritz - which lucky Craft Gin Club members can find in their May 2021 Gin of the Month box. Finished with a garnish of lemon, it is one stunning spring tipple to enjoy in the sun.

Enjoyed with our Cherry Bakewell Tarts, there’s no better way to spend a night in with gin. Our twist on the classic Cherry Bakewell recipe (see below) adds a good glug of gin and an extra touch of fragrant, bright lemon. Yum!

These two make the perfect centrepieces for any alfresco picnic or garden knees-up. They are the perfect cherry-on-top when it comes to sunny, spring days.

---

Cherry Bakewell Spritz

Here, the Amaretto, gin and Pedrino Ruby & Tonic Spritz complement each other perfectly. The refreshing citrus notes of ruby port in the Pedrino Ruby & Tonic Spritz are a lovely match for the sweet cherry and almond flavours of the Amaretto and the rich complexity of the juniper notes in the gin. This has to be one of our all-time favourite gin cocktail recipes.

Ingredients

15ml gin
15ml Amaretto
Pedrino Ruby & Tonic Spritz, chilled, to top up
Lemon wedge, to garnish

Method

Fill a large tumbler with ice. Add the gin and Amaretto and stir. Top up with the Pedrino Ruby & Tonic Spritz. Garnish with a squeeze of lemon and the lemon wedge. Enjoy!

---

Ginny Lemon & Cherry Bakewell Tarts

Cherry Bakewell Tarts are traditionally a simple mix of cherry jam, frangipane (or almond paste) and icing sugar, all encased in beautifully buttery pastry and topped with a Maraschino cherry. Our version adds gin to the icing and jam and increases the amount of lemon zest normally used in the frangipane. It’s a delicious bake that will have any gin fan drooling.

Ingredients

For the sweet pastry:

170g unsalted butter, at room temperature
Zest of 1 lemon
100g icing sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp almond essence (optional)
400g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

For the ginny cherry jam:

300g frozen cherries
100g caster sugar
50ml gin

For the frangipane filling:

Zest of 2 lemons
200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g caster sugar
4 large eggs
190g ground almonds
25g plain flour
50g flaked almonds

For the icing

150g icing sugar
2 tbsp gin

Maraschino cherries and flaked almonds, to garnish (optional)

Method

1. To make the pastry, place the butter and lemon zest in a food mixer and blitz until soft. Sift in the icing sugar and mix until light and creamy. Mix in the egg yolks with 2 tbsp water and the optional almond essence, then add in the flour until the mixture begins to clump.

2. On a lightly floured surface, bring the pastry together into a ball, then wrap in cling film and flatten slightly to form a disc. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.

3. While the pastry chills, make the ginny cherry jam by placing the cherries and sugar in a pan. Turn up the heat and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, stirring regularly, until the mixture is thick and jammy (approximately 10 minutes). Remove from the heat, stir in the gin and leave to cool.

4. Once the pastry has chilled, roll it out to the thickness of a £1 coin and use to line six 10cm loose-bottomed mini tart tins (or one large tin). Trim off any excess. If the pastry breaks or cracks, patch up with any trimmings. Leave to cool in the fridge for 10 minutes.

5. Line the tart cases with scrunched-up baking paper, fill with baking beans or rice, and bake ‘blind’ in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and beans and cook for a further 10 minutes, until the pastry is lightly golden in colour. Leave to cool.

6. Meanwhile, make the frangipane filling. Beat together the lemon zest, butter and caster sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, including a spoonful of the ground almonds with each addition. When all the egg has been added, mix in the remaining ground almonds and the flour.

7. Spread a generous amount of the ginny cherry jam over the cooled tart cases. Spoon or pipe over the frangipane filling and smooth with a palette knife or spatula. Scatter over the flaked almonds and place the tarts back in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden, then leave to cool.

8. While they cool, mix together the icing sugar and gin. Remove the tarts from their cases, then use a spoon to drizzle over the icing. Decorate with optional maraschino cherries and flaked almonds.

---