In this cocktail DIY article, we look at brandied cherries, how to make your own and use them in the home bar.
Brandied Cherries – Photo © Cocktails & Bars
We’ve all been served a cocktail garnished with neon red maraschino cherries at some time. Bite into one and it’s devoid of flavour aside from a sugary syrup – not for the discerning home bartender who doesn’t want to taint that Manhattan.
Most commercially made candied cherries are made by soaking them in a cocktail of chemicals such as solution of calcium chloride and sulphur dioxide to strip them of their colour. The cherries are then macerated in a combination of high fructose corn syrup and red dye to give them the appearance of cherries again.
Luxardo Maraschino Cherries are a premium product but if these are out of reach or not in the home bar budget, there is an alternative.
Brandied cherries or maraschino cocktail cherries are easy to make at home using our tried and tested original recipe below. Use fresh cherries while in season and choose fruit that is blemish free. Pit and de-stem the cherries (although you could leave both on) before preparing a spiced syrup enriched with a little cherry juice and your liquor of choice. Then leave the prepared cherries to macerate in the fridge. You can use brandy to make brandied cherries, bourbon or dark rum as we’ve used in this recipe.
It takes approximately one month for the flavours to develop and the delicious liquid can be put to creative use in cocktails.
Here are the step by step instructions for how to make your own brandied cherries.
How to Make Brandied Cherries
Original recipe by Cocktails & Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup white granular sugar or raw sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 cinnamon quill
- 2 whole allspice
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon of almond extract
- 10-15 ml cherry juice*
- 250 ml brandy, dark rum or bourbon (we used dark rum)
- 500 g fresh cherries, pitted and de-stemmed
Equipment: cherry pitter, small saucepan, fine strainer, muddler, canning jar, glass jar with tight fitting lid
Method
- Using a cherry pitter, pit the cherries and remove the stems.
- In a small saucepan add sugar, water and spices and bring to a simmer until the sugar is dissolved.
- Remove from the heat, leave to cool then add the spirit of choice.
- To make the cherry juice, in a small bowl or cocktail shaker muddle 8 pitted cherries to release as much of the juice as possible. Strain using a fine strainer, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Add the cherry juice to the syrup and spirit and mix to combine.
- Add the cherries to the liquid and once it has cooled down completely, transfer to a canning jar and store in the fridge.
- Taste as you go to check when they’re ready to your liking. The brandied cherries are ready to use in approximately 4 weeks and keep well in the fridge.
Brandied cherries can be used in cocktails such as the Old Fashioned, Whisky Sour and Manhattan.
