Rock & Robert

These glasses belonged to my grandparents Robert and Marie.  They are gorgeous but very delicate. The glass top doesn’t actually connect with the metal base, so I only use them for special occasions and handle them with great care. I really wanted to use them for a cocktail to honor my grandfather who was my best friend during the time he lived with us.  My grandfather had a huge sweet tooth.  When I was 8, we would demand dessert together.  Sometimes more than once an evening.  But when a younger man, as the story goes, when he was at a party or anywhere cocktails were being served, he would tell anyone with a drink that cherries cause hangovers. So he would kindly offer to take the hit by eating the cherries himself.  He also loved Rock and Rye and used it as the cure for any ailment; but made sure it was heavy on the rock candy syrup.  If you so much as cleared your throat in his home, it was time for Rock and Rye!  So I wanted to use the original recipe of Rock and Rye from Harry Johnson’s Bartending Manual and go from there making a sweet drink that my beloved grandfather would have loved sipping with me if he were still around.  I also added a ton of cherries, so watch out for that hangover ::wink::