by Homemade Brandied Cherries are far easier to make than one would think and requires only two ingredients in the making.
At the very start of cherry season and after first gorging on these sweet crunchy cherries till our tummies protest, we love preserving this wonderful fruit for the upcoming months.
Aside from canning, freezing or even dehydrating fruits, did you know that you can also preserve them in pure alcohol?
It’s a brilliant way of capturing the essence and flavour of this sweet fruit. One that stretches way beyond the summer season while rewarding us with its blissful tastes.
What I know about homemade brandied cherries I owe to my father-in-law who would happily gift us jars of preserved cherries for the holidays!
We would often serve and savour them after an elaborate, Italian style dinner surrounded by family or good friends.
They’re surprisingly crunchy to the bite with a drunken boozy taste and a pure delight!
My father-in-law had a golden rule to crunchy boozy cherries: Choose firm dark sweet cherries with no visible cracks in them and clip the stem while leaving a quarter of it intact.
By doing so the cherries retain their firmness while soaking up the delicate brandy!
What you’ll need for preserving cherries
Much as the title implies, all you’ll need are some sweet cherries and a good Brandy.
But it doesn’t have to be the most expensive Brandy here! As long as it has a lovely delicate flavour then it will do just perfectly.
You’ll want to keep this in mind because we definitely get what we pay for. And besides, you’ll most certainly be drinking the cherry brandy once it’s infused with the dark crimson hue of the cherries of course.
How to make Brandied Cherries Recipe
- Choose firm dark red sweet cherries with no visible cracks or blemishes (cracked and bruised cherries will spoil the batch)
- Rinse the cherries and lay them out on a clean dishcloth
- Pat them down to dry with a dishcloth
- Clip the cherry stems while leaving a quarter of the stem intact
- Fill jars with cherries
- Pour the brandy over the cherries, taking care to fully submerge the cherries in the alcohol
- Place the lids on the jars and refrigerate for at least 4 weeks before consuming
What to do with Brandied Cherries
- Use the brandied cherries to garnish cocktails
- Top over your favourite desserts such as ice cream, puddings or serve alongside a pound cake
- Or simply serve as an after dinner drink in a liquor glass with a couple of the boozy cherries
Cheers!
Another preserving recipe you might enjoy throughout the winter season:
Homemade Brandied Cherries
Equipment
- 4, 500ml Canning Jars or any size jars of your choice.
Ingredients
- 1 750ml bottle of Brandy
- 1 1/2 - 2 pounds Bing Cherries (approximately)
Instructions
- Rinse cherries under cold running water and lay out in a single layer on a clean dish cloth.
- Pat the cherries dry.
- Using a scissor, clip the stem of the cherry while leaving approximately a quarter of the stem intact. (leaving the stem intact ensures a firm and crunchy cherry)
- Fill the jars with the cherries while leaving some head space in the jars.
- Pour the brandy over the cherries, making sure the cherries are completely submerged.
- Put the lids on the jars and refrigerate for 4 weeks before consuming. (If you can resist that long)
- This allows for the cherries to be infused with brandy flavour while the brandy intensifies with the crimson red hue of the cherries.
- Serve as an after dinner digestif
I will be doing this! I have the cherries — just waiting for the liquor store to open on Monday.
Lol…here we have it opened 7 days a week! Enjoy!
Well these sound absolutely divine! Perfect to make that cherry season last longer!
Exactly! Perfect to enjoy in the upcoming months and always a crowd pleaser!
What a wonderful way to preserve seasonal cherries, Marisa. I can imagine them as a terrific hostess gift at Christmas time and also in ways that I would feature them in my own kitchen. Many thanks for sharing. 🙂
I totally agree Denise, they do indeed make wonderful Christmas gifts! I so wish I had made a larger batch! It’s a great tradition in our family and we love them!
Hi Marisa! This recipe makes more sense than the ones I read with cooking the brandy over the pan with sugar. So thank you! I will definitely try this!
Quick question, though: can we add sugar to this recipe? If so, when would be the perfect timing you’d suggest and what sugar would be best? Thanks!
Hey Neet, you can make a simple syrup by heating up part sugar and part water. Let it cool. Fill you jars with cherries. Pour brandy and then the cooled simple syrup over them. Make sure they’re completely submerged and keep in a cool dark place!!
Hi
I have a question, I made 20 litres of cherry liquor with vodka. They are in 4 litre jars , I would like to transfer to small jars. How do I seal them so that I don’t have to refrigerate the jars? Thank you
Hi Rhonda, is your cherry liquor freshly made? Is it made with a simple syrup? My experience is more in preserving fresh cherries in alcohol. So if I were to make a large batch of brandied cherries I’d simply transfer them into clean sterilized jars. As long as your small jars are sterilized, whether it be in the dishwasher or stove top, it should be as easy as ladling the cherry liquor into the smaller jars and storing in a cool dark place. The alcohol is the preserving agent.
Hi Maria,wondering on brand of brandy, and do bottles need sterilising before bottled regards Donna
Hi Donna, I don’t sterilize the jars per say! I simple boil water, turn off the heat and dunk jars and lids in for a few minutes! We use Vecchia Romagna! The alcohol acts as the pre-servant so there’s no need to sterilize as you would for canning!
Thankyou
You’re very welcome!
Sounds so nice.Have never tried this ,but am sure about to give a try.Thank you so much.
It’s a simple process with amazing results Barbara. Enjoy!
Left mine In the pantry for two years really good and very firm
Yes, my father-in-law would do the same. We absolutely love these brandied cherries.
I have very limited space in my refrigerator. Is it necessary to refrigerate the jars or can I put them in my pantry! What can I do with the jars if this is not a safe option?
Julie, for safety reasons, they should be refrigerated. But with limited space, consider making one jar of brandied cherries.
Hi Marisa,
In your reply to Julie, you stated “for safety reasons”. Please elaborate on those. When I brew beer, I let it ferment in a room temp pantry. I’m looking forward to making my cherries.
Thank you.
Hi Kevin, for consumption yes. It’s always better in a cool dry space.
I will be making these once I get the “good” cherries. Do I have to place them in the fridge?? When my grandmother made them, she put them her pantry from August to December and they were fabulous (according to her!) I was too young to consume!! Thoughts?
Yes, a fridge or pantry is fine.