- Stovetop Fruit
- Cherry
These are easy to make at home and fun to tinker with different flavorings.
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In This Recipe
The co*cktail Cherry: A History
Making co*cktail Cherries at Home
Why It Works
- You can use this recipe as a template and alter it according to your tastes.
- You can substitute any type of brandy, rum, or a combination of liqueurs and spirits for the cherry liqueur.
- When considering other spices to use in addition to (or instead of) cinnamon and nutmeg, think about the spices found in co*cktail bitters.
The maraschino cherry.
A sweet, florescent lump that bobs in a jar full of syrup in some forgotten corner of your fridge. You might think they're evil, or you might think they're wonderful. Some love them, some hate them; the consensus by a nose seems to be, though, that people loved them as kids but hate them now, and that's an opinion I'll admit to sharing.
As a kid, I couldn't get enough of them. Now, I can't even imagine having a jar in my house.
The co*cktail Cherry: A History
What are these things? As Paul points out, the original maraschino cherry was simply a Maraska cherry that's been preserved inmaraschino liqueur. Various European regions have a history of preserving fruit in liquors and liqueurs; the maraschino cherry is simply an Italian adaptation of that idea.
Over time, beginning in the late 1800s and continuing up until Prohibition, bar owners and commercial producers began to tinker with the basic recipe of cherries in maraschino. Other boozes were substituted; easier-to-find (and cheaper) cherries were swapped in. Eventually, food scientists came up with a way to both brine and bleach the cherry using a single solution. The brine helped to preserve and firm up the fruit, and the bleaching allowed manufacturers to color the poor cherry in any available hue.
The process of eliminating the liqueur from the recipe began well before Prohibition, probably as a cost-saving measure, but once the Great Experiment started, the use of liqueur was doomed, and the DayGlo orbs took over.
Today, we're lucky enough to have other options available: Luxardo, for example, makes a spectacular maraschino cherry, a true example of the original. Other people swear by the product by Toschi Amarena, although I've never tried them.
Making co*cktail Cherries at Home
But co*cktail cherries are easy to make at home, and you might find that it's fun to tinker with the recipe, adjusting it to your tastes and needs. The technique is simple:
- Make a syrup of sugar, water, and spices.
- Once the sugar dissolves, remove the pan from the heat and add alcohol.
- Add cherries and then remove to a jar.
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You can use this technique as a template for many different variations. First, think about how you'll be using the cherries. When I describedhow I make co*cktail onions, I mentioned selecting herbs that complement the flavors in a Gibson, by echoing the botanical flavors in gin.
You can take a similar approach when making cherries. If, for example, you'll be using them in a Manhattan, think not about the base spirit this time (bourbon and rye don't have botanical flavors in the way that gin does), but about the vermouth or the bitters. Many co*cktail cherry recipes call for cinnamon or cloves. As it turns out, cinnamon and cloves are common ingredients in co*cktail bitters, whethercommercialorhomemade.
As for booze, you have options there, too. You can use maraschino liqueur, as the original recipe did. Or you can substitute brandy (grape, apple, cherry, or whatever makes you happy), rum, or a combination of liqueurs and spirits.
July 2011
Recipe Details
Brandied co*cktail Cherries Recipe
Cook10 mins
Total10 mins
Serves80 cherries
Ingredients
1/2 cupwhite sugar or turbinado
1/2 cup cherry juiceor water
1 stick cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 cup brandy, maraschino liqueur, aged rum, or any combination of the three
1 pound cherries, stemmed and pitted if desired
Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cherry juice (or water), cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to a low simmer. Simmer, stirring until sugar is fully dissolved.
Remove saucepan from heat. Add brandy or other liqueur, and stir to combine.
Add cherries and stir until coated with syrup.
Remove to clean canning jars. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight before serving.
Special Equipment
Medium saucepan, canning jars
Read More
- Manhattan co*cktail
- Boulevardier
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 7 | Calories |
| 0g | Fat |
| 1g | Carbs |
| 0g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
×
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 80 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 7 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 0g | 0% |
| Saturated Fat 0g | 0% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 2mg | 0% |
| Total Carbohydrate 1g | 1% |
| Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
| Total Sugars 1g | |
| Protein 0g | |
| Vitamin C 0mg | 2% |
| Calcium 1mg | 0% |
| Iron 0mg | 0% |
| Potassium 10mg | 0% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
