How To: DIY Cocktail Cherries

Create delicious, cost-effective garnish for your next Manhattan with this easy recipe from the Wild Turkey distillery visitor center.

As a garnish, the humble brandied cherry doesn’t carry much weight in our direct experience of a cocktail—it changes neither temperature nor texture—and arguably very little of its sweet viscous coating ends up in the flavors you sip. And yet it remains an icon behind the bar. Like the mint on a pillow or the bow on a gift, it’s a small gesture of hospitality, a little treat for your guests.

Plus, who doesn’t want dessert with their drink?

Why Make Your Own Cocktail Cherries?

Unfortunately, nice cocktail or brandied cherries can be quite expensive and, in some markets, challenging to source. The solution? Make your own!

We tapped David Bates, Bar Supervisor for the Wild Turkey Distillery Visitor Center in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, to share his fantastic DIY Cocktail Cherry recipe.

Not only does it produce delicious, long-lasting cherries, he explains that the luxurious infusion liquid works successfully as a house cherry liqueur replacement, or even just poured over shaved ice.

Watch our easy how-to video, and read on for the recipe, plus David’s notes on ingredients and storage.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/watch?v=ei4v0411b14

Homemade Cocktail Cherries Recipe

Yield: Roughly two 16 oz Jars of Cherries

Ingredients

• 450 g Frozen Cherries (One 16 oz bag, preferably dark cherries, if available)
• 90 ml Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon*
• 60 ml Wild Turkey 101 Rye*
• 250 ml 2:1 Simple Syrup
• 50 ml Averna**
• 3 g Citric Acid***

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients except cherries, and stir until the acid has dissolved (at this volume, using a small blender may be easier than stirring).
2. Pour the mixture over the still frozen cherries in a sealable container. 
3. Seal cherries and allow to infuse in the fridge for at least one week (David prefers at least two weeks, time permitting).
4. Store cherries refrigerated, and submerged in the infusion liquid. Depending on your freezer temp, surplus cherries can be kept in freezer for extended shelf life. More on that below.

Notes on Ingredients:

*101 Bourbon and 101 Rye: The 101 proof whiskey increase the shelf stability of the cherries and give a degree of barrel-aged flavor, making them a great addition to whiskey cocktails. The ABV of the solution after the cherries have been allowed to steep overnight will be between 23% and 28% which will inhibit things like bacterial growth and secondary fermentation.

**Averna: Adds complexity and darker notes. Raise amount to 75ml if desiring a more bitter final product.

***Citric Acid: The pH level that makes food shelf stable depends on multiple factors, but in general a pH below 4.5 prevents the growth of disease-causing organisms. The small addition of citric acid in the syrup brings the pH down to the 3.75 range and helps to enhance the brighter notes in the cherries.

Additional Flavors: This recipe can act as a template for additional spice infusion—he recommends adding whole dry spices like cardamom, cinnamon, or clove.

Notes On Storage and Usage:

Made as indicated in the recipe, the infused cherries should have a high enough proof and sugar content to not freeze in most freezers. Tested at 10F, cherries did not refreeze or crystalize.

---

Looking for more great Bartending How-To’s? Learn how to make Aperol Caviar, Campari Dust, and Sage Brown Butter Fast Wash.