Last Updated on April 10, 2023 by The Noms
We adore these Brandied Cherries, and love to put them in cocktails, desserts, and really any other recipe we can! Hope you try them!
These Brandied Cherries are easy to make, and make a great snack or garnish for cocktails! A tasty edible garnish for any cocktail, try our Sparkly Edible Glitter Cherries, too!
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Over the past year I have become very interested in cocktails of all sorts. I am constantly researching new ways to improve my drinks, and one of the most obvious ways is to improve what I put into the cocktails.
How to Make Brandied Cherries?
Getting rid of the artificially neon red cherries that are used in classics like the Old Fashioned or Manhattan and replacing them with homemade brandied cherries would make a great addition to these drinks. We wanted the homemade version, because we like making our own ingredients, but also because we wanted to see if we could do it!
How do you make Drunken Cherries?
I have been researching how to make my own brandied cherries and when a surprise winter crop showed up for a reasonable price I decided to jump on the chance to start exploring a new food adventure. It is a fairly easy recipe, so make sure to try it out!
What Ingredients do I need for the Brandied Cherries?
- water
- vanilla extract
- sugar
- orange zest – the orange peel of the orange, not the white pith
- brandy – any kind will do
- nutmeg and allspice, cinnamon stick
- lemon juice
- cherries (any kind of cherries will do!)
What to Do With Brandied Cherries?
- Brandied Chocolate Manhattan
- The Rambler’s Ruby
- The Cherry Blossom
- Cherry Toasted Cream Ramos Gin Fizz
- Ginger Cherry Smash
Do Brandied Cherries Need to be Refrigerated?
This is a great way to preserve cherries and add a nice boozy depth and spice to these cherries, which can be used in cocktails or as a topper on ice cream. We have easily kept them 4-6 months in the fridge (if they last that long), and they will keep really well and ready to use!
How do you Pit a Cherry?
With a cherry pitter! But seriously, if you don’t have one, another option is a toothpick. Insert the toothpick into the stem-end of the cherry. It should hit the pit. Then twist the toothpick around the pit and it should pop out.
What Kind of Cherries to Use for this Recipe?
You can use any kind of cherries for this recipe – sweet, sour, Mount Rainier, Bing, maraschinos, they all work! They all absorb the brandy and spices the same and turn out sweet and tart together, they are super tasty!
How Much Does this Brandied Cherries Recipes Make?
It fills about (3) 16 oz jars, or (1) 32 oz jar and an 8 oz jar. Or any combo of these. Just realize with the juice it creates more volume.
Cheers!
Related Boozy Fruit Recipes
- Drunk Melon Balls – Divas Can Cook
- Martha Washington’s Preserved Cherries – American Table
- Drunken Cherries – Crazy for Crust
- Bourbon Cherries
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Like this recipe? Try these below, too!
Bourbon Cherries
Brandied Cherries
Brandied Cherries for cocktails, desserts, or just for snacking.
Ingredients
Brandied Cherries
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 cinnamon stick
- pinch of nutmeg
- pinch of allspice
- 1 pound cherries, pitted
- 1 cup brandy
Instructions
Wash and pit the cherries.
In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except the cherries and brandy. Bring to a roiling boil.
When it begins to boil, reduce heat to medium. Add cherries and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
Remove from heat, add brandy and let cool.
Transfer the cherries into clean jars and refrigerate, uncovered, until cherries are cool to the touch.
Cover tightly and refrigerate.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
32Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 36Total Fat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 5.5gFiber: 0.3gSugar: 4.8gProtein: 0.2g
PIN THIS BRANDIED CHERRIES RECIPE FOR LATER!
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Nance
Wednesday 13th of July 2022
Can you use Congac instead of brandy
The Noms
Wednesday 13th of July 2022
I would thank that would work ok, they are in the same alcohol family! Cheers!
Erica H
Sunday 5th of December 2021
Could this be done with frozen cherries?
The Noms
Sunday 5th of December 2021
Yes, it sure can! They may need a little more time to cook, but they should work well. Cheers!
Lauren
Sunday 13th of September 2020
Can these be canned?
The 'Noms.
Tuesday 15th of September 2020
Hi Lauren, they don't need to be, as they are in alcohol themselves (the brandy). If you canned them I am concerned that the jars would explode, as all the alcohol isn't cooked out. We have had cherries last in the liquid for a year. Maybe even longer, we haven't had them last that long! Thanks, Leah
Earl Heinlein
Friday 21st of August 2020
I made a batch of these cherries per this recipe, adding 1/2 cup of Luxardo Cherry Liqueur, expecting it to further lift the cherry flavor. I am a hard core Manhattan guy that also makes my own bitters.
I was absolutely pleased with the results in terms of flavor of the cherries, but in terms of the syrup, I lean towards a thicker style, akin to the commercially available Luxardo or Toschi product. So in my second batch, I added a 1/2 cup of a cherry brandy and 1/2 cup of the Luxardo Cherry Liqueur to the entire cooking process, simmering it much longer to reduce the liquid to a thicker syrup.
This approach removes the alcohol content, but after allowing the cherries and syrup to cool, I added another 1/2 cup of the Luxardo Liqueur giving me the result I desired.
I have shared these cherries and my bitters with some of my friends that have used them not just in Manhattans, but served over ice cream, added to summer punches/ades, and cosmotinis.... All receiving rave reviews!
Much thanks for the recipe!!!!
The 'Noms.
Saturday 22nd of August 2020
Earl, thanks for your interesting take on our recipe! We prefer them to not be so sweet, and love the cherry liquid as it is, as we use it in cocktails a lot, and don't want it so thick or sweet. That's the beauty of being able to customize a recipe to your preferred likeness. Cheers!
Dawn
Sunday 21st of June 2020
Because they are in alcohol, do they have to be refrigerated? Or can they be canned?
The 'Noms.
Sunday 21st of June 2020
They don't have to be refrigerated. We prefer them to be, because we enjoy them cold on our cocktails, but no need if you don't want to! They don't need to be canned either! Enjoy!