Whisk the cherry drink mix into the sweetened condensed milk until the color is evenly bright pink and there are no streaks or dry powder left. Taste a tiny bit with a clean spoon—if it’s too strong for you, you can gently fold in an extra spoonful or two of plain whipped topping later to mellow it out.
Add the thawed whipped topping to the bowl. Using a spatula, gently fold the whipped topping into the cherry mixture until it’s completely smooth and one even color. Take your time and fold instead of stirring hard so you keep as much fluffiness as possible.
Place the chilled graham cracker crust on a speckled granite counter or other flat surface. Pour the cherry filling into the crust, scraping the bowl with a spatula to get every bit. Smooth the top so you have an even, bright pink layer all the way to the edges.
Cover the pie loosely with plastic wrap or the plastic lid that comes with the crust, making sure it doesn’t touch the filling. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until the filling is firm enough to slice cleanly. For the best texture at a cookout, make it the night before and chill overnight.
