Recipes · Health Shot
Tart Cherry Evening Shot
Reader ratingsA ruby-red, tangy-sweet shot of Montmorency tart cherry concentrate and lemon, made for sipping an hour or two before bed.
Cherry juice has long been a folk remedy for sore joints and gout; using it as a bedtime drink is a newer, research-inspired habit.
Safety
- Tart cherry concentrate is naturally high in sugar and contains sorbitol, which can loosen stools. Start with half a shot, and count the carbohydrates if you manage diabetes.
- Persistent trouble sleeping deserves a check-up — sleep apnea, medicines, pain and mood can all be behind it. A shot is not a treatment for insomnia.
- A shot is a small extra, not a substitute for a meal.
Why it’s good for you
Montmorency tart cherries are one of the few foods that naturally contain melatonin, along with anthocyanin pigments; a concentrate gives you a trial-sized amount in a single ounce.
Evidence
Limited evidence
Mostly small, early, or laboratory studies.
Small trials suggest tart cherry juice can nudge sleep: in 20 healthy adults, a week of concentrate raised urinary melatonin and lengthened sleep time, and in 15 older adults with insomnia it cut time awake after falling asleep but not other sleep measures. A 2025 systematic review of seven studies found only three reported better sleep, and a 44-person, 30-day trial found no benefit. The effects are modest, the trials small and varied, and none used a homemade shot.
General information from research and traditional use — not medical advice, and not a treatment for any condition. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition, check with your clinician first, and seek care for symptoms that are severe or do not improve.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Stir the tart cherry concentrate, 3/4 cup cold still water and the lemon juice together in a jar or bottle until evenly mixed.
- Taste and adjust: a splash more water for a milder shot, or a squeeze more lemon for more tang.
- Seal and refrigerate. About one to two hours before bed, pour a 2 oz shot — it contains roughly 1 oz of concentrate, the amount used in sleep trials — and sip it slowly, topped with a splash of sparkling water if you like.
Tips
- Look for 100% tart (Montmorency) cherry juice concentrate with no added sugar — not "cherry cocktail" and not sweet-cherry juice.
- Keeps 4 days mixed in a sealed glass bottle in the fridge; shake first. Once opened, keep the unmixed concentrate as the label directs. Freeze the mix in ice-cube trays if you like.
- A shot is not a sleep plan: a cool, dark room and screens off an hour before bed matter more than any drink.
- Prefer a mug? Stir a shot into warm (not boiling) water for a cozy evening drink.
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