Author Notes: Kristy Mucci graciously shared with me the basic recipe for booze-soaked sour cherries that she and her fiance recently concocted as a homemade cocktail garnish. She covered sour cherries with Luxardo (Maraschino liqueuer), brought them to a simmer, then turned off the heat and let them cool in the Maraschino. I added a few strips of lemon peel and decided not to pit the cherries. These little booze bombs are both tart and sweet at the same time and would be the perfect garnish for a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned, or another cocktail of your choice (I wouldn’t put one in your kid’s Shirley Temple, though). —Merrill Stubbs
Makes: 1 cup cherries
Ingredients
-
1
cup sour cherries, rinsed, with stems and pits
-
3/4 to 1
cups Maraschino liqueur (you can substitute cherry brandy, but add a little sugar if you do)
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Peel from 1/2 lemon, in strips
Directions
- Put the cherries in a single layer in a small, heavy saucepan. Pour enough Maraschino over to just cover the fruit and add the lemon peel.
- Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat. Once it starts bubbling, remove the pot from the heat and let the cherries sit and steep until they are cool. Use in your favorite cocktail, storing any extras with the liqueur in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
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I started with some beautiful, plump sour cherries from the farmers market.
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You want one even layer of cherries in the bottom of the pot.
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For the cherries, I used Luxardo Maraschino, a sweet cherry liqueur that also has an almond-like flavor from the incorporation of crushed cherry pits.
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Because the Maraschino is quite sweet, you don't need to add any sugar to the cherries.
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You want to just cover the cherries in the liqueur.
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A few strips of lemon peel.
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Pretty! You just bring the cherries gently to the boil, then turn off the heat and let them cool in the Maraschino.
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Time for cocktails!
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