Big’s Mixology: Fire up the Grill and Mix Up the “Porch Crawlers”

Okay with summer in full swing and it seems every night the aroma of mesquite wood and charcoal fill the air as families all over the neighborhood fire up their grills and feed the family.

Does it get much better than a cold beer or a ice cold cocktail along with the stoked smoking grill?

With that in mind here is the perfect cocktail that will set your summer night BBQ off.

As usual I try and pick a fruit that is in season and available at your local grocer. This time the "Ranier Cherry" takes center stage in this rum spiked concoction. Both "Black" and "Ranier" cherries are available right now and both go perfect along side fish, chicken, pork or beef, whatever you have the grill loaded up with.

The Porch Crawler:

• 8 cherries, pitted and muddled or pureed
• 1 ounce Simple Syrup (sugar & water equal parts)
• 2 ounces club soda
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 1 hot chile, such as a serrano (maybe a third of a habbenaro if you like it spicy), halved and seeded (you can muddle or puree along with cherries)
• 2 ounces of WHITE rum (spiced rum will not work here)
• Ice

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the 8 pitted cherries and half of the chile (you may also puree together in food processor). Add your ice and plenty of rum, lemon juice and Simple Syrup; shake well (when I say shake well I mean just that. Put your arm into it until you have a well blended and frothy product) Strain and stir in the club soda and garnish with a cherry. The sweet, hot and sour is Oh so good guys and keeps you sippin'. Try this one fo sho!

Recipe courtesy of Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli