These Brandied Cherries are a perfect boozy and sweet addition to your cocktails and desserts!
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Ever since I started making my crazy-popular Homemade Cherry Jam, I have been making lots of recipes using cherries!
Making these cocktail cherries is so simple and they add such class and flavor!
Brandied cherries are a type of preserved fruit made by soaking cherries in a mixture of brandy, sugar, and sometimes additional flavorings.
The process of making brandied cherries involves preserving the cherries in alcohol, which not only imparts a unique flavor but also helps extend their shelf life.
I love making batches of these in cherry season. Especially as cocktail cherries for cocktail parties around the holidays!
What are they? Simply put, they are cherries soaked in a mixture of simple syrup and brandy. Like an elevated adult version of maraschino cherries. Yummers.
Instruction Overview
Making these cherries will take just a few minutes of work.
Looking for how to make your own homemade brandied cherries? First get all of your cherries washed with stems and pits removed.
When preparing the cherries, I highly recommend using a cherry pitter.
I am not a fan of one use tools in the kitchen, where a gadget is only good for one thing. But a cherry pitter makes it SO much faster and easier to pit a cherry, that it is completely worth it!
Then make your syrup on the stove by simmering water and sugar until it is dissolved over medium to medium high heat.
Add the half cup brandy, pour over the cherries, and you are done!
Brandied cherries need time in the refrigerator before using, ideally at least a day.
The syrup that these cherries sit in is very thin. You can use it, too!
If you want a thicker syrup like consistency, double up on the sugar with the same amount of water and brandy.
Do brandied cherries need to be refrigerated?
Unless you are canning the cherries properly, they do need to be refrigerated.
Can I use frozen cherries?
Yes, you can use frozen cherry fruit for this recipe, however the texture will change.
Frozen fruit will release a lot more moisture, so you want to thaw and drain them before using.
And because of the freezing process, they will also be much softer.
So the frozen cherries version will work, but I recommend just sticking to fresh cherries wherever possible for the best possible product.
How to use Brandied Cherries
My favorite way to use these cherries is as a cocktail cherry such as an Old Fashioned or mocktail garnish.
You can also scoop them onto ice cream or desserts, and even use the cherry juice syrup as a sauce.
FAQs
Are brandied cherries the same as maraschino cherries?
No. These brandied cherries are soaked in a liquor. Maraschino cherries that you find at the store are soaked in a sugar liquid.
Are cocktail cherries the same as brandied cherries?
Brandied cherries are a type of cocktail cherry.
Cocktail cherries tend to be categorized as either sweet, brandied, or sour.
Do brandied cherries go bad?
Eventually, yes, but brandied cherries have a long shelf life of 6-12 months.
Do brandied cherries need to be refrigerated?
Yes, they should be refrigerated.
More Cherry Recipes
Brandied Cherries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups cherries (approximately 3/4 pound or 300 ounces)
- â…“ cup sugar
- â…“ cup water
- ½ cup brandy
Instructions
- Wash the cherries. Remove the stems and pits.
- In a small pot over medium high heat, combine the water and sugar and simmer until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the brandy to the syrup mixture.
- Put the cherries in a 16 ounce mason jar or other container and pour the liquid over the cherries.
- Cover and refrigerate 24 hours before use. Keep up to 6 months in the refrigerator.
I have been enjoying this recipe so much over ice cream at night. It gives it that extra flavor. Two go over ice cream, and two go to me to try them to make sure :). I just love this recipe. Thank you.
I love these cherries. I’ll be making a jar to have in my fridge during the holidays.
Thanks. A Bottle in my kitchen will be surely done. The Brandied cherries looks so tempting and I love the description given by you to relishing these Brandied cherries.
Your brandied cherries look perfect to go with my homemade vanilla ice cream. I love that it makes a syrup for drizzling. I know what I’ll be making this weekend, just need to get some brandy.
I made your brandied cherries to go with vanilla ice cream for a party I had and they were a big hit with all my guests! thanks for sharing your recipe.
With my mind already thinking about holiday gifts, this is definitely top of the list! My family and friends will love this! These for cocktails and on top ice cream are on the menu this week!
I love eating cherries so much and I made this one for my ice cream and it’s really delicious!
Oh my, these Brandied Cherries looks so yummy! A perfect way also to store cherry! It looks very enticing too! Loved it!
I have SO many cherries in the fridge because I overdid it at the farmers market haha. I am definitely making this this weekend, thank you so much for sharing 🙂
These brandied cherries look and taste amazing! I can’t wait to eat them with some vanilla ice cream.