Bourbon Cherries Recipe
As a kid, you loved those sweet, bright maraschino cherries. This grown-up version is soaked in bourbon and ginger, giving an old favorite a modern kick.
Photo: Sam Kaplan
Makes about 1 pint
Ingredients
1 heaping cup (6 ounces) pitted Bing cherries, fresh or frozen
1 cup bourbon
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 (1") knob of ginger, peeled and thickly sliced
Directions
Active time: 8 minutes
Total time: 3 days, including soaking time
Place cherries in a resealable 1-pint jar.
In a medium pot, bring bourbon, sugar and ginger to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
Pour bourbon mixture into jar of cherries, seal and place in fridge for at least 3 days. Cherries will keep, refrigerated, up to 2 months.
Seeing Red
To present her Bourbon Cherries in style, Maggie Battista suggests some of her favorite sources for glass vessels. She also offers a few ways to serve them—in addition to topping such classic cocktails as a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned:
To Give:
Le Parfair Glass Terrine: Made by a French company that's been around for more than 80 years, these jars with iconic swing-top lids can be used again and again—just buy new orange rubber seals. ($8 for 17½-ounce jar; ContainerStore.com)
Hexagon Jar with Gold Lid: Battista likes this receptacle's unusual shape; others on this site come in hues like amber or blue, or even novelty designs like glass bears. ($1.10 for 9-ounce jar; SpecialtyBottle.com)
Straight-Sided Glass Jar with Metal Lid: These jars are exceptionally easy to use, and they make everything from preserves to infused sea salt look so darn good. ($20 for 12 [16-ounce] jars; ULine.com)
To Savor
Heaped on slices of pound cake
Spooned over a bowl of your favorite ice cream
In a Surly Shirley Temple: Mix 1 ounce grenadine, 3 ounces ginger ale and a squeeze of lime juice, then add one bourbon cherry. Don't have grenadine on hand? You can make your own in minutes: Just mix equal parts pomegranate juice and sugar over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
Ingredients
Directions
Active time: 8 minutes
Total time: 3 days, including soaking time
Place cherries in a resealable 1-pint jar.
In a medium pot, bring bourbon, sugar and ginger to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
Pour bourbon mixture into jar of cherries, seal and place in fridge for at least 3 days. Cherries will keep, refrigerated, up to 2 months.
Seeing Red
To present her Bourbon Cherries in style, Maggie Battista suggests some of her favorite sources for glass vessels. She also offers a few ways to serve them—in addition to topping such classic cocktails as a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned:
To Give:
Le Parfair Glass Terrine: Made by a French company that's been around for more than 80 years, these jars with iconic swing-top lids can be used again and again—just buy new orange rubber seals. ($8 for 17½-ounce jar; ContainerStore.com)
Hexagon Jar with Gold Lid: Battista likes this receptacle's unusual shape; others on this site come in hues like amber or blue, or even novelty designs like glass bears. ($1.10 for 9-ounce jar; SpecialtyBottle.com)
Straight-Sided Glass Jar with Metal Lid: These jars are exceptionally easy to use, and they make everything from preserves to infused sea salt look so darn good. ($20 for 12 [16-ounce] jars; ULine.com)
To Savor
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