• Add the limes into a pint glass and muddle until the juice is pressed out. Add some ice to the cup and add the cherry compote, rum, essential oils, mint leaves, and balsamic glaze. For the mint leaves, hold them in one palm, smack the other hand onto them and with pressure held spin your hands 180 degrees like windshield wipers. This technique releases the mint oil without releasing the chlorophyll that will make the drink bitterer; you don’t want to muddle your mint with the limes.
• Place a shaker tin over the top of your pint glass (or mix in your shaker if you use that kind of system) and give it a smack to create the seal. Shake 10-20 times back and forth, remove the pint glass from the shaker tin, pour the contents of the shaker back into the pint glass and fill remaining space with soda water. Garnish with sprig of mint and lime sections. For a prettier version, I strain the fruit out of my shaker tin and add fresh fruit to my finished glass, either way it will be delicious. Add a straw and enjoy.

Cherry Compote

• The compote is simple, add the cherries and sugar into a pot and heat over medium heat. After a couple minutes the cherry juice begins to release and dissolve the sugar. Once the cherries were at this point, I took my muddler (bar tool for smashing things) and muddled it until the cherries were slightly broken up. I didn’t quite make it into a puree, but pretty mashed. I heated it until the cherries were mushy and the sauce began to thicken a little. Then I removed it from the heat and allowed it to cool before using it in the cocktails. If you are in a hurry you could place the compote in the freezer for a few minutes; you just need it cool enough not to melt all your ice.