Magical Marinated Maraschino Cherries
Magical Marinated Maraschino Cherry
Equipment
- Mason Jar with Lid
- Strainer
- Bowl
- Measuring Cup
- Measuring Equipment (Jigger is recommended, but a Tablespoon will work)
Ingredients
- 400 Grams Maraschino Cherries (14.1 oz)
- 60 ml Brandy (2oz or 4 Tablespoons)
- 22.5 ml Amaretto (¾ oz or 1 ½ Tablespoons)
- 22.5 ml Maraschino Liqueur (¾ oz or 1 ½ Tablespoons)
Instructions
- Remove the cherries from the jar using a strainer and bowl to help separate the syrup, which will be needed.
- Funnel the syrup into a measuring cup so you can clearly determine how much syrup there is.
- Put half the syrup in a mason jar, and put the rest of the syrup aside.
- Next, add the 3 liquors to the syrup and shake to combine well.
- Put the cherries into the jar and gently shake to mix.
- The liquid should be above the cherries. If it’s not, you add some of the leftover syrup.
- Label with the date and store the jar in the fridge for at least 1 month before using.
Notes
A Cherry Is Not A Cherry
Let’s get down to brass tax, if you have ever eaten a cheap cocktail cherry out of the bottle, off a poor quality baked good, or fished one out of your cocktail glass at your local watering hole, then you already know they are not all that tasty. The toxic neon red cherries look so darn iconic, and they do really pop when you see them on top of a cake or in a cocktail. Looks, sadly, don’t equal taste.
I’m going to ask you take a step out of the world of aesthetics. We need to get away from the flashy advertising and product placement the put the manufactured fake maraschino cherry front and center.
The American “maraschino” cherries are actually nothing by a bad imitation. I’m not at all being facetious. They are in fact a wholly different type, American Royal Anne cherry to precise. Real maraschino cherries come from Italy. During prohibition in the US, researchers in Oregon found a way to recreate the look and flavor of maraschino cherries through chemicals and other additives. In my humble opinion, they failed, as the results were a pale imitation. Objectively far sweeter than the real thing, with a candied texture that is too chewy. If you look closely at some packaging, like on Gaban’s cherries, you will note that it is labeled as ‘maraschino style.’
I will concede on the point that they did succeed at creating a cheaper product, in every sense of the word.
Will The Real Maraschino Cherries Please Stand Up
There are a number of companies producing what look to be real maraschino cherries. If you’re in Japan, you are really out of luck getting most of these. Thusly, I have not had the privilege of trying many of these. That all being said, Luxardo maraschino cherries are widely considered to be the best. If you try them, you’ll immediately see why. They are big, plump, sweet but not overly sweet, and dark reddish purple. They look and taste nothing like the Frankenstein’s monster you find on American shelves.
All the quality comes at a cost. Luxardo is double the price of the cheap imitation cherries, but it’s well worth it.
The double pack is better deal, as it’s 20% cheaper.
If you’re in Japan, you’re going to have a much harder time sourcing Luxardo. You can find them on Amazon Japan, but often the shipping alone could be over 10,000円. Seriously, forget about getting any products locally.
All hope is not lost. I can’t recommend the UK based Master of Malt enough. They are my go to for cocktail supplies and hard to find liquors. Their prices are extremely reasonable and their shipping rates are incredibly fair. Do note; if you order over 10,000円there might be some import duty that you get hit with. It’s really a crap shoot.
Luxardo cherries are fantastic right out of the bottle, but if you follow the recipe above you will take them to a new level.
Luxardo also makes one of the top rated maraschino liqueurs, which is a must for this recipe.
Pretty Please With A Few Cherries On Top
I set out with one use in mind for my maraschino cherries; cocktails. A great number of cocktail do call for a maraschino cherry as a garnish. Do these ever compliment the drinks you make! I just can’t say this enough, because it’s true, but they elevate your drink to the next level. They are a great addition to White Russians.
Don’t stop with cocktails. You can do so much more with these heavenly delights. They will complement any number of desserts, of course. Obviously, nothing is more iconic than right on top of an ice cream sundae. They will also work well with yogurt pancakes, waffles, cakes, muffins. They are simply delight mixed in with whipped cream.
Once all the cherries have been exhausted, you’ll probably have some syrup/alcohol left over. Don’t just throw it away. It’s excellent poured over top ice cream.
The Syrup Situation
You might have noticed that the recipe only calls for you to use only half the syrup that comes with Luxardo maraschino cherries. I don’t like wasting anything, and there is a great use for that leftover syrup. Besides, you should get your money’s worth out of this pricey product.
A Maraschino Cherry By Any Other Name…
One final point; I’ve noticed that Americans habitually mispronounce maraschino. It’s quite often said ‘ma-ra-she-no.’ This is wrong. Since the word is Italian, the chi in the middle is actually pronounced like ‘ki’ or ‘key’. So, to say it correctly, it would be ‘ma-ra-ski-no.’
And now you know!
Does it get any campier, or dirtier than this? Let’s hope not!