Tart cherry, orange and lemon meet a subtle roasted-cacao infusion in a dark-fruit sour served up.
At a Glance
A cherry-and-citrus sour with a restrained roasted-cacao aroma.
Creator & Origins
The name Afterglow is already used for a published non-alcoholic orange–pineapple–grenadine drink. This cherry, citrus and cacao-nib-infused Mixology sour has a different formula, but the stable slug “afterglow” needs publisher naming review. No exclusive title or historical invention is claimed.
The Mixology View
The roasted-cacao note should sit beneath the tart cherry rather than turn the drink into chocolate juice. A defined short hot infusion is easier to reproduce than an unspecified cold brew, although flavour strength still needs editorial judgment.
Source & Editorial Status
Private staging design review. Publication approval not granted.
Cherry Cacao Sour
At a Glance
Ingredients
75 ml chilled pasteurized unsweetened tart cherry juice
45 ml chilled cacao-nib water infusion
30 ml fresh orange juice
15 ml fresh lemon juice
10 ml 1:1 simple syrup by weight
Instructions
Pour 250 ml water at about 95°C over 8 g food-grade roasted cacao nibs, cover for 10 minutes, then fine-strain.
Cool the strained infusion promptly and refrigerate at 4°C or below until chilled.
Make simple syrup from equal weights sugar and water.
Shake 75 ml chilled pasteurized unsweetened tart cherry juice, 45 ml chilled cacao infusion, 30 ml fresh orange juice, 15 ml fresh lemon juice and 10 ml simple syrup with ice for 10–12 seconds.
Fine-strain into a chilled coupe, express one orange twist over the surface and rest it on the rim.
