Welcome back, mixers — and happy February!
Continuing with ”The stone series” this month we’re diving into one of the most iconic foundations in all of mixing: The Strawberry Base / Stone.
But there’s a twist…
Not everyone can taste strawberry the same way, (and February just happens to be National Cherry Month)… so for this assignment, you get to choose your path:
Path A — Build a Strawberry Base
Craft your ideal strawberry foundation.
Bright, jammy, creamy, candied, realistic, syrupy — whatever “your strawberry” means, build a base that captures it.
This should be a standalone stone you’d use in future recipes.
Path B — Build a Cherry Base
For the strawberry‑blind, the cherry‑curious, or anyone who wants a challenge, cherry is fully on the table.
Go wild with dark cherry, candy cherry, bakery cherry, soda cherry — whatever direction inspires you.
The Assignment
Create a flavor base/stone that expresses your chosen fruit in a way you’d proudly use as the backbone of a full recipe.
You may:
- Use any brand(s) you like
- Build it realistic or stylized
- Add supporting notes (creams, sweeteners, accents) as long as the fruit stays the star
- Submit as many variations as you want of either or both profiles
You may not:
- Submit a full recipe — this month is all about the base
- Use one‑shots, or premade stones published before Feb.1st 2026
Timeline
Mixing opens February 1st
Steeping, tweaking, and discussion continue all month
Post your base whenever it’s ready — but before the 3/1/26 EST cutoff
How to Participate:
Just comment below and drop a link to your public base recipe in this thread,
Recipes must have the hashtag #ELR/RedFruit26
(Recipes also must use valid flavorings and include notes / steep times)
New mixers are especially encouraged to jump in — this is a great month to learn the basics of building a fruit base and get comfortable sharing your work. Prize will be random so there’s no pressure / this is not a competition.
As always, feel free to ask questions, compare approaches, or riff on each other’s ideas. The Mix‑Along is about learning, experimenting, and just having fun.
Let’s build some killer fruit bases this month!
Whether you’re Team Strawberry or Team Cherry, February is the perfect time to sharpen your foundational mixing skills — and maybe just discover a new favorite stone for your recipe toolbox!
Comment and link your recipe below, every participant get one chance at a single Grand Prize, winner will be chosen at random at the end of month and awarded $50.00 Cash (or Gift Card of choice).
. At first glance on that post i thought i saw “yes we cherries”, lol. I was like “what! INW released a new cherry??” Until i looked properly 
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