Trying Out My Whiskey Cherries

A few weeks back, I set out to make some whiskey cherries. I combined everything and let the jar sit in the refrigerator until I deemed them ready to try. I wanted them to sit for at least two weeks to

Old Fashioned Cocktail with Homemade
Whiskey Cherries

really get some whiskey flavor. I let them sit and checked on the jar every few days. I'm not sure what I thought a visual inspection would bring, but I was curious and I wanted to check on my cherries!

When I finally decided to try them, I smelled the cherries, tasted the cherries, and made a cocktail with the cherries.

First the smell. The cherries and whiskey blended amazingly. The smell was amazing. It was like opening a cocktail in a jar.

Now the taste. The cherries absorbed so much whiskey flavor. I could have just eaten the cherries by themselves.

Last, the cocktail. I made an Old Fashioned because that's the most classic whiskey cocktail I could think of, and it was just what I wanted! My Old Fashioned recipe is below.



The Recipe:

The Tools:

• Old-Fashioned Glass
• Ice Sphere
• Jigger
• Muddler
• Jigger

The Ingredients:

• 2 Ounces Bourbon
• 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
• 2 Dashes Orange Bitters
• 1 Teaspoon Simple Syrup
• 2 Whiskey Cherries
• Orange Twist

The Method:

Building a delicious cocktail is something of an art form. The right ingredients have to go together in the right order. Otherwise, the cocktail will be good, but not great. That is the case with an Old Fashioned. You have to build the proper base to set up the rest of the cocktail.

To start, add your simple syrup, marraschino cherries, and both types of bitters. Using the muddler, muddle cherries by lightly pressing against the bottom of the glass. Once the cherries are muddled, add the ice. For the ice, I prefer to use one large piece of ice, like a sphere or large cube.

Using the small side of the jigger, pour 2 1 ounce shots of bourbon over the ice. Add the orange twist. Using the bar spoon, stir to combine.

Whiskey Cherries

Homemade Whiskey Cherries

You can't make an Old Fashioned without a cherry or two, preferably the Luxardo brand. But at $20 or more per bottle, the budget conscious cocktail creator may want to keep these for special occasions. For the everyday cocktail, a more modest, price friendly option is called for.

The supermarket options are limited. Typically, you have a name brand and a store brand maraschino cherry. Usually loaded with sugar and syrupy cherry juice. The cherries themselves looking like a
hyper red candied fruit that might be find on top of a fruit cake. Not exactly what I want to have outside of a sundae at the ice cream parlor.

I found a Mezzetta brand maraschino cherry at the grocery store with no preservatives and no added dyes. I'm going to take these and try to make my own whiskey cherries.


The Tools

• Mason Jar
• Measuring Cup

The Ingredients

• maraschino cherries
• whiskey

The Method

Combine the entire jar, liquid and cherries, with a half cup of whiskey, in the mason jar. For the whiskey, I used Maker's Mark in this case. Screw the lid on and give it a shake to mix up. Set it aside and store in the fridge to really get all of the flavors working together. I'm going to let this sit in the fridge for about two weeks to see it turns out. I'll give you an update with the first cocktail I make with it!