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    » Home » Recipes » Summer Fruit Recipes » Brandied Cherries

    Brandied Cherries

    Posted: Jul 11, 2014 · Updated: Oct 19, 2020 by Jenny McGruther · This site earns income from ads, affiliate links, and sponsorships.

    brandied cherries with text overlay that says = how to make brandied cherries

    Each summer, for a short window, orchards positively drip with ripe sweet cherries - blushing yellow Raniers and Bings such a dark maroon they almost look black.  If you're blessed with an abundance, take the time to make homemade brandied cherries.

    These boozy, fragrant, vibrantly fruity cherries add flavor to homemade cocktails and drinks. And their flavor only improves with time, so make them this summer and tuck them into a cupboard until Christmas time arrives.

    Jump to Recipe | What are they? | Making Brandied Cherries | Storing | Serving Suggestions

    Brandied cherries in a glass jar with a split vanilla bean, ready for storage.

    What are brandied cherries?

    Brandied cherries are boozy, sweetened fruits that you make by soaking fresh cherries in a combination of rich syrup and brandy. They taste richly sweet, delightfully alcoholic and, like homemade root beer, are a hallmark of authentic, early American cookery.

    At their simplest, Brandied Cherries need only a handful of ingredients: cherries, brandy and sugar.   And most early American recipes call only for those simplest ingredients. You can also add spices, if you like. Vanilla pairs particularly nicely with cherries.

    Soaking fruit in sweetened alcohol was a popular way of preserving cherries, peaches and other stone fruit before refrigeration and water bath canning became widespread.

    Making Brandied Cherries

    To make brandied cherries, you'll begin first by trimming the stem of cherries or removing them completely. Next, prepare a rich syrup with sugar and water. Simmer the cherries in the syrup for a few minutes, and then transfer them to a jar. Whisk the syrup with brandy, and then pour it over the cherries and seal the jar.

    Before you make your first batch, there's a few helpful tips to keep in mind:

    • Select only the ripest, best fruit. Blemished fruit, over-ripe or under-ripe fruit make for poor preserves.
    • Trim the stem. Most early American recipes call for keeping the stem on the cherry and trimming it short.
    • Prick the cherries once with a toothpick. You'll simmer the cherries for a few minutes in a hot rich sugar syrup, and pricking them should prevent them from bursting.
    • Try substituting cherry juice for water. While not an authentic ingredient, it can amplify the flavor of your brandied cherries.
    • Keep the sugar content high. It's tempting to cut the sugar in the recipe (who needs more sugar, right?), but sugar acts as a preservative in this recipe - just like alcohol.

    How Should You Store the Cherries?

    Traditionally, cherries were preserved in brandy in the summer and stored at room temperature or in root cellars until winter. The high sugar content and the high alcohol content helped to preserve the foods and keep them safe.

    Early American cookbooks like  Miss Corson's Practical American Cookery (1886) and Aunt Babette's Cookbook (1889), recommend simply sealing the cherries in a jar and that's it.

    By contrast to traditionalists, modern preservers often use less sugar and recommend storing brandied cherries in the fridge or canning them in a water bath for about 10 minutes, increasing that time at higher elevations.

    Rate this Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Brandied Cherries Recipe

    Homemade brandied cherries, with their sweet and fruity booziness are fantastic in cocktails, or added to desserts. They're also easy to make, and a fantastic way to preserve the cherry harvest. Select ripe, unblemished fruit with the stem on for the best flavor.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time15 mins
    Servings: 32 servings (1 quart)
    Print Save Recipe Saved!

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound sweet cherries
    • 1 vanilla bean split
    • 1 cup water
    • 2 cups unrefined cane sugar
    • 1 cup brandy

    Instructions

    • Trim the stems of the cherries to about ¼ inch, or remove them entirely. Then pierce each cherry once with a toothpick to prevent splitting.
    • Warm the water and sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar fully dissolves. Drop in the cherries and vanilla bean, and simmer them in the hot syrup about 2 minutes.
    • Strain the cherries, and reserve the syrup. Place the cherries and vanilla bean in a jar, and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature.
    • Whisk the room-temperature syrup with brandy, and pour it over the cherries. Seal the jar, and place it in a cool, dark cupboard or store it in the fridge. Allow the cherries to age at least six weeks before serving, and shake the jar periodically.

    Notes

    Substitutions: You can experiment with different caloric sweeteners like maple sugar, jaggery and coconut palm sugar if you like, but remember to keep the sugar content high for the best results. 
    Tried this recipe?Mention @nourishedkitchen or tag #nourishedkitchen!

    Serving Suggestions

    You can add brandied cherries to cocktails like Manhattans, or sip the cherry liqueur on its own. I also like to add a shot of the liqueur and a cherry or two to homemade kombucha, and it's also nice added to cherry water kefir. You can also use the cherries to garnish desserts, in crêpes, or eat them on their own.

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    Hi, I'm Jenny! I'm a nutritional therapist, herbalist and the author of three natural foods cookbooks. You'll find nourishing bone broths, simple herbal remedies, and loads of fermented goodness on this site.

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