matthewdc Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Tired of the neon red maraschino cherries at the grocery store--they don't do Willet 5 yo rye manhattans any justice. Curious if anyone has a good homemade maraschino cherry recipe. I've seen several variations on the net but wanted to see if anyone on the forum makes their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighHorse Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 No I don't have a recipe .. but .. I did have cause to look up maraschino cherries on google and see what kind of awful stuff they're packed with. If you could come up with a substitute .. patent it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 No I don't have a recipe .. but .. I did have cause to look up maraschino cherries on google and see what kind of awful stuff they're packed with. If you could come up with a substitute .. patent it.I confess I am too lazy to make my own and usually defer to the Luxardo cherries. A local bottle shop/restaurant also does their own brandied cherries which are nice. Don't know if they are available outside Atlanta though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP12 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Here's a couple of recipes found online. Pretty simple. Recipe 1Recipe 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFS Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Relative to recipe #2 in the previous post:A) If you use it, make sure you don't miss the almond extract, which has somehow shifted to a justified left position in the article, instead of falling directly under the list of other ingredients for the syrup (the last of which is red food coloring).Also, the recipe calls for 4.5 POUNDS of sugar into 3 cups of water (plus the 2 oz of additional liquid from the food coloring and the almond extract). That is a lot of sugar. I'm not certain that it will actually go into solution at that ratio, even with the boiling of the water to allow supersaturation.I haven't made simple syrup in a long time, but the normal ratio for a quick (non-cooked) simple syrup is 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water. For a richer (cooked) syrup, 2 cups sugar to 1 cup water is used. So 4.5 pounds to 3 cups of water is a huge amount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Does seem like a lot. 4.5 pounds is 10 cups! Maybe it should be 4.5 cups of sugar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErichPryde Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 You don't need nearly that much sugar. I make bourbon cocktail cherries at home.You need:1 lb Cherries (pitted)Juice from 1/2 lemonone or two sticks cinnamonclove (optional)a couple of dashes of homade vanilla extract (I soak a split vanilla bean in 100 mL of GTS for 3 months to make vanilla extract)1 to 1 1/2 cup sugar2 cups good bourbon (something wheated works well here, like Maker's, or OWA, or ORVW. Or some blend. Your pick).Combine your bourbon and sugar on the stove. add the cinnamon, lemon juice, vanilla and clove (if you're using clove). Mix over med heat/bringto a VERY brief boil until your sugar dissolves (add more bourbon if necessary).Add the cherries and cook for a minute or two.Let it cool, pour it into mason jars, and seal by placing the jars into boiling water.Age in a cool dark place or the fridge. Delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thezenone Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I have tried the first recipe where you just throw cherries into a jar with Maraschino Liqueur, and would recommend passing on that one. I have found that Tillen Farms Bada Bing cherries are a great substitute for the neon cherries. I hope to give the Luxardo brand a try eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubadoo97 Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Erich, you got me blanching the cherries from my experimental attempts a couple of years ago. Definitely improved the texture of the cherriesFollow Erich's lead. He's done this a few times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErichPryde Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 I'd strongly recommend the fridge, just because I'm super concerned about food poisoning (even with the presence of lots of alcohol). The cherries seem to have a solid shelf-life of a year to a year and a half. Don't think they ever become dangerous after that, but the texture/taste quality starts to go downhill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd2005 Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 You don't need nearly that much sugar. I make bourbon cocktail cherries at home.You need:1 lb Cherries (pitted)Juice from 1/2 lemonone or two sticks cinnamonclove (optional)a couple of dashes of homade vanilla extract (I soak a split vanilla bean in 100 mL of GTS for 3 months to make vanilla extract)1 to 1 1/2 cup sugar2 cups good bourbon (something wheated works well here, like Maker's, or OWA, or ORVW. Or some blend. Your pick).Combine your bourbon and sugar on the stove. add the cinnamon, lemon juice, vanilla and clove (if you're using clove). Mix over med heat/bringto a VERY brief boil until your sugar dissolves (add more bourbon if necessary).Add the cherries and cook for a minute or two.Let it cool, pour it into mason jars, and seal by placing the jars into boiling water.Age in a cool dark place or the fridge. Delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matnab2000 Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 You don't need nearly that much sugar. I make bourbon cocktail cherries at home.You need:1 lb Cherries (pitted)Juice from 1/2 lemonone or two sticks cinnamonclove (optional)a couple of dashes of homade vanilla extract (I soak a split vanilla bean in 100 mL of GTS for 3 months to make vanilla extract)1 to 1 1/2 cup sugar2 cups good bourbon (something wheated works well here, like Maker's, or OWA, or ORVW. Or some blend. Your pick).Combine your bourbon and sugar on the stove. add the cinnamon, lemon juice, vanilla and clove (if you're using clove). Mix over med heat/bringto a VERY brief boil until your sugar dissolves (add more bourbon if necessary).Add the cherries and cook for a minute or two.Let it cool, pour it into mason jars, and seal by placing the jars into boiling water.Age in a cool dark place or the fridge. Delicious.Do you have to age them or can you just start using them as soon as you're done? If you have to age them, how long until you use them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubadoo97 Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 I think it's best if you age them a bit to let the flavors meld Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooneygoogoo Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Just my opinion but if you use clove, be careful not to overdo it. I'm not much of a cook so I asked my wife's opinion and she threw about 8 whole cloves in the pot. It's just too much for me. I might like it better with either 1 or none. I think it would be great otherwise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphanumeric Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 More information than you probably wanted:http://www.artofdrink.com/blog/maraschino-cocktail-cherries/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pudsky Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 You don't need nearly that much sugar. I make bourbon cocktail cherries at home.You need:1 lb Cherries (pitted)Juice from 1/2 lemonone or two sticks cinnamonclove (optional)a couple of dashes of homade vanilla extract (I soak a split vanilla bean in 100 mL of GTS for 3 months to make vanilla extract)1 to 1 1/2 cup sugar2 cups good bourbon (something wheated works well here, like Maker's, or OWA, or ORVW. Or some blend. Your pick).Combine your bourbon and sugar on the stove. add the cinnamon, lemon juice, vanilla and clove (if you're using clove). Mix over med heat/bringto a VERY brief boil until your sugar dissolves (add more bourbon if necessary).Add the cherries and cook for a minute or two.Let it cool, pour it into mason jars, and seal by placing the jars into boiling water.Age in a cool dark place or the fridge. Delicious.I am going to try this recipe!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petrel800 Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 A tasty Sazerac out of my new 4R 125 glass. Local retailer was giving them away if you bought their 4R selection. Nice little glasses. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petrel800 Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Oops, somehow this wound up in the wrong thread.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pudsky Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I am going to try this recipe!!Looks like I have to wait till fresh cherries are available. Crap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthewdc Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 You don't need nearly that much sugar. I make bourbon cocktail cherries at home.You need: 1 lb Cherries (pitted) Juice from 1/2 lemon one or two sticks cinnamon clove (optional) a couple of dashes of homade vanilla extract (I soak a split vanilla bean in 100 mL of GTS for 3 months to make vanilla extract) 1 to 1 1/2 cup sugar 2 cups good bourbon (something wheated works well here, like Maker's, or OWA, or ORVW. Or some blend. Your pick). Combine your bourbon and sugar on the stove. add the cinnamon, lemon juice, vanilla and clove (if you're using clove). Mix over med heat/bringto a VERY brief boil until your sugar dissolves (add more bourbon if necessary). Add the cherries and cook for a minute or two. Let it cool, pour it into mason jars, and seal by placing the jars into boiling water. Age in a cool dark place or the fridge. Delicious. I finally got around to making these bourbon cherries and I have to say they turned out great! Just the right sweetness and bite. Thank you to ErichPryde for providing the recipe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pudsky Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I too finally got around to making these cherries. They turned out awesome! Can't wait for them to age for a bit. I did pit the cherries and left the stems on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pudsky Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I dropped one of these and a bit of the sauce in a glass of Very Old Heaven Hill 8yr. Mmmmmm, tasty. Mini Manhattan without the vermouth. These will be even better after they soak for a while... My mouth is watering thinking about a better bourbon and a proper Manhattan....YAY!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubadoo97 Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I finally got around to making these bourbon cherries and I have to say they turned out great! Just the right sweetness and bite. Thank you to ErichPryde for providing the recipe. [ATTACH=CONFIG]17518[/ATTACH]Looks great[emoji106] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pudsky Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Fresh cherries are available again here in the northland. I just purchased a "handle" of Makers Mark and am ready to make a few more batches. Love these Cherries. The Mother-in-law likes the juice mixed with Coke. That earns me some bonus points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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