Maraschino Cherry

There is something about a maraschino cherry that makes a drink or dessert feel so special and nostalgic. However, nostalgia notwithstanding, long gone are the days where I want one of the neon red maraschino cherries on top of whipped cream that taste of nothing but sugar- instead I reach for the real thing! However, because I most often use these in mocktails, instead of a traditional maraschino cherry steeped in cherry liqueur, I’ve added a non-alcoholic twist while keeping of the flavor!

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Speaking of non-alcoholic, I am using both almond and vanilla extracts that can leave (very) small levels of alcohol in the maraschino cherry jar. If you are sober and want to avoid those trace amounts, Neilson Massey makes a great alcohol-free vanilla extract and if you’re looking to swap out the almond extract look for an extract that is called ‘almond flavor’ instead of an almond extract!

Choosing Cherries for Maraschino Cherry Recipes

If you can find Marasca cherries (the traditional cherry for these recipes) they are perfect, but they’re not super common outside of the Adriatic Sea area. However, any variety of tart cherries work well- I usually pick up Montmorency cherries! A couple other varieties that have a good amount of tartness are Amarelle or Morello cherries; just be sure to avoid Bing or Sweetheart cherries as they tend to be too sweet!

Maraschino Cherry Ingredients

Maraschino Cherry Method

Use either a cherry pitter or a metal straw to pit each cherry. You can choose to keep or remove the stems. The stems are fun for plating but tend to fall off in the jar, so take extra care with placing the cherries in the jar if you are planning to keep them!

Combine water, sugar, and cherry juice in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.

Add in cherries and simmer for 10-15 minutes until cherries start to soften. You can test if they are soft enough by grabbing a single cherry with a pair of tongs and squishing it. It should bounce back easily and not crack.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, almond, and vanilla. Let cool then transfer both cherries and juice to heat safe jars. Once those are completely cool, transfer to the refrigerator and wait for at least twenty-four hours before using!

These cherries can be refrigerated for up to three weeks and can be frozen in an airtight container. (Try adding a few at a time into each divot of ice cube trays for drinks!)

If canning, add an additional cup of sugar to the liquid (for preserving purposes) divide into pint jars, and water bath can with 1/2 inch headspace for 15 minutes.

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