Easy, boozy, cocktail cherries!

Cherries are abundant this year, and there’s nothing better than transforming them into a batch of boozy, sweet, cocktail cherries. Not only can you garnish your drinks with these beauties, the syrup used to store then in makes a fabulous addition to summer sippers and punches that cool you off when the temperature soars.

Homemade cherry pitter!

Without a proper pitter this can be challenging, but, with a little research I made a cherry pitter from an old fork and went to town on a giant bowl of fruit last week to fire up a batch of my favorite recipe. This pitter is simple to make, cheap, and it works! Find an old flimsy fork (the inexpensive type work best), bend the two outer tines down and create two little hooks with the inner ones and your set! Insert hook on bottom of fruit sliding up till you reach top of pit and gently pull out pit. Work over a bowl to catch any juices that may seep out.

Once you finish pitting the cherries the rest of the process is a piece of cake! This easy recipe will have you turning your nose up at ordinary maraschino cherries. Why settle for less than the best when you can make these with so little effort?

Boozy cocktail cherries

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 inch piece orange zest

1 pound sweet cherries, pitted

1 cup of maraschino liqueur  ( I use Luxardo, but any of these will work)

Place sugar, water, lemon juice, zest and cinnamon in large sauce pot and simmer on medium heat till stirring occasionally. Let liquid come to a slow boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Slowly add cherries to pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add maraschino liqueur. Let mixture come to room temperature uncovered. Transfer to sterile container and store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Boozy beauties!

Use these in any sour, punch, juice based cocktail or to top a bowl of chocolate ice cream. Just don’t pop them in your kid’s Shirley Temple, remember, they’re for adults only!

Filed under: cocktail recipes, Food and Wine Porn, NYC recipes culture, Wine Pairing Recipes