The podcast dedicated to cocktails, spirits, and all things imbibed.

Cocktail Cherries

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Episode 4 Recap

Adult drinks call for adult cherries! The maraschino cherries (aka red abominations) you took down by the handful as a kid are no longer welcome at the bar and Always Parched is here to help you make the switch. In this episode Dinger, Wo, and Micah sample some of the best cocktail cherries this world has to offer - PLUS - we have homemade brandied cherries you may want to make for yourself.

Cherries We Sampled

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Luxardo Maraschino Cherries

Maraschino Cherries

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Traverse City Whiskey Co. Premium Cocktail Cherries

Michigan Tart Cherries

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Fabbri Amarena Wild Cherries

Amarena Cherries

 
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Lazzaroni Authentic Amaretto Cherries

Amarena Cherries

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Micah’s Homemade Cherries

Bing Cherries

 

Cherries We Didn’t Sample

Maraschino Cherries
References we used to confirm how terrible the red abominations truly are:

Quotes

 
“In the nineteenth century, a maraschino cherry was a sour cherry that was packed in maraschino liqueur, but in the go-go twentieth century it became a mass-produced, chemical-laden little piece of neon-red plastic.”
— Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki
 
 
“When a drink calls for a ‘cocktail cherry,’ please avoid any artificially colored neon-red so-called Maraschino versions soaking in artificial syrup and instead use a quality brand of cherries like those from Luxardo, Amarena cherries from Fabbri, or your own homemade bourbon or brandied cherries.”
— Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas
 
 
“A superior version of the American maraschino is one made by Italian producer Luxardo, who makes a liqueur made from Marasca cherries as well. The difference between (Luxardo) and the American version is night and day. Rather than a bleached-and-dyed zombie food product, think of preserved sour cherries packed in a syrup made from Marasca cherry pits.”
— The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique
 

Booze We Drank

Tuve Bitter

Aviation

Episode Notes and References

Micah’s Recipe for Homemade Brandied Cherries

Ingredients:

  • ½ Cup Turbinado Sugar

  • ½ Cup Black Cherry Juice

  • 1 Cinnamon Stick

  • ¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

  • 1 Cup Booze (¼ Brandy, ¾ Aged Rum)

  • 1 Tablespoon of Maraschino Liqueur

  • 1 Pound Sweet Cherries (stemmed and pitted)

  • 1 Tablespoon of Fresh Lemon Juice

  • 3 Juniper Berries

  • Pinch of Salt

Directions:

  • In medium saucepan, combine sugar, cherry juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, juniper, and salt. Bring to a low simmer. Simmer, stirring until sugar is fully dissolved.

  • Remove saucepan from heat. Add brandy, rum, maraschino liqueur, and stir to combine.

  • Add cherries and stir until coated with syrup.

  • Remove to clean canning jars. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight 36 hours.

  • Separate original round into separate jar.

  • Add 1.25 Cups of Confectioners Sugar to remaining juice. Stir until dissolved. Put new batch into separate jar.

Shirley Temple Recipe
Grenadine + 7Up + Handful of red abominations

Roland Toothpicks
Ask Dinger For Some

Golden Hour (Photography)
Improve your craft!

Use Your Extra Cherry Syrup On Ice Cream!
Seriously… do yourself a favor.

Traverse City Whiskey Co. American Cherry Edition
Visit Their Website

Bitter Beer Face
Dinger’s Super Timely Reference from 1995

Micah’s Affogato At Home
Haagen Daz Ice Cream + 1 Nespresso Pod + .5 oz Amaretto Liqueur

Lazzaroni Amaretto Liqueur
Visit Their Website

Jeffrey Morgenthaler Bar Book
Available On Amazon