Vodka Cheerwine Cocktail

Pour a glass of ice cold Cheerwine, every North Carolinian’s favorite cherry soda, and stir in a spot of vodka and zesty lime juice for a refreshing summer drink! This Vodka Cheerwine Cocktail is the most quaffable summer sipper.

About this Vodka Cheerwine Cocktail recipe

I write a lot about other places on this blog, but there’s one state that’s pretty special to me: my native North Carolina.

Growing up, I loved sipping on the occasional Cheerwine, a burgundy-red cherry soda that’s still made in Salisbury, N.C. today.

Most North Carolinians love Cheerwine — and crave it even more if they live outside of the state. One of my cousins refuses house guests from North Carolina who don’t bring him a case of Cheerwine. Thankfully for his future house guests, it’s available in all 50 states now.

It’s high time I made a North Carolina-centric cocktail with this soda, so I tried out a few before finally settling on a combination of Cheerwine, vodka and lime juice. It tastes just like a spiked cherry limeade with the added legendary flavor of this great state.

Why you’ll love this recipe

The Cheerwine Vodka Cocktail is the perfect cocktails to enjoy this summer.

• This three-ingredient cocktail is super easy to put together.
• It’s a great way to enjoy Cheerwine as a cocktail mixer.
• With flavors of cherry and lime, it’s like a boozy cherry limeade.

What is Cheerwine?

Cheerwine is a cherry-flavored soda made in my home state of North Carolina. Nicknamed the “nectar of North Carolina,” general store owner L.D. Peeler dreamed up this bubbly soft drink with a hint of wild cherry during a sugar shortage in 1917, and it’s been a Carolina favorite ever since.

Every May, the town of Salisbury, N.C. hosts a huge Cheerwine festival. More than 60,000 people celebrate this effervescent soda each year. The festival features Cheerwine-flavored desserts and treats. (Speaking of, my friend Jenni makes this amazing Cheerwine cake that has been on my baking bucket list for years.)

If you can’t find Cheerwine where you live, you can either order it online or substitute any cherry soda (or pop, if you are so inclined).

Ingredients

You don’t need much to make your own Vodka Cheerwine cocktail. It’s like a vodka soda but with a sweetened soda instead of soda water.

• vodka: Your favorite vodka will work here! You can even try a flavored vodka like lemon vodka or vanilla vodka. My go-to brand is Tito’s or Reyka.
• fresh lime: Use half a lime for the juice, then cut the other half into slices for a garnish. If you don’t have a lime, you can use lime juice concentrate for a similar flavor.
• Cheerwine cherry soda: This recipe was intended for using Cheerwine specifically, but if you can’t find it, you can try it with another black cherry soda.

Substitutions

If you’re out of one of the ingredients or just want to mix things up, try one of these ideas:

No Cheerwine? You can try this with another cherry soda. Cherry Coke would work too. You can also make your own soda with homemade cherry syrup and club soda.

Swap the vodka. You can feel free to try this cocktail with rum, tequila, whiskey or gin. Cheerwine goes really well with any of them. Flavored vodka is nice too.

Experiment with citrus. Instead of lime juice, you can use another citrus juice like lemon juice or orange juice to play with the end result.

Variations

Shake things up with one of these variations:

Skinny version: Use Diet Cheerwine or Cheerwine Zero Sugar which has less sugar, to make a lighter version of this drink.

Holiday punch: At the holidays, Cheerwine sells Cheerwine Holiday Punch with flavors of pineapple and ginger on top of the cherry. Use it in place of regular Cheerwine for a fun twist.

Make a non-alcoholic version: Swap the vodka for a non-alcoholic spirit like Seedlip Grove 42 ^*. This adds layers of flavor to the Cheerwine to create a more interesting-tasting mocktail.

Instructions

Here’s how to make this easy Cheerwine cocktail recipe:

1. To a rocks glass or highball glass ^* filled with ice, add the vodka and lime juice.
2. Pour the Cheerwine over top.
3. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and a lime wedge.

Before taking a sip, raise your glass to my home state and recite the North Carolina State Toast. Here’s to the land of the longleaf pine… Cheers!

Tips & tricks

Step up your drink game with these tips and tricks for making this recipe:

• Chill the vodka, Cheerwine and the cocktail glasses ahead of time. Cold soda has the best bubbles!
• Measure the ingredients so you have a more balanced cocktail.
• Use fresh lime juice for the very best flavor.

More Cheerwine recipes

Now that Cheerwine is available in all 50 states, you can use it to make a bunch of drinks!

• These frosty, boozy Cheerwine bourbon slushies are absolutely divine.
• If you love beer, you might like this Cheerwine shandy for something new!
• Bourbon lovers will also adore this Cheerwine old-fashioned cocktail which is made with a homemade, reduced Cheerwine syrup.