Cocktail Hour: Brandied Cherries

[SallyLightfoot]

Maraschino cherries are kinda gross-- they're artificial and full of corn syrup and dye. Here's a pretty simple alternative:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2262945_make-br ... rries.html

I didn't have fresh cherries available for my recipe-- they're out of season. Instead I used dried, tart cherries that I picked up at Whole Foods. The way I looked at it, I wanted to [i]reconstitute[/i] those suckers with alcohol, to turn 'em into potent weapons.

My steps to brandied cherry nirvana were as follows:<ol><li>Get a mason jar, or some sorta seal-able glass container.</li><li>Sterilize the jar-- dunk the whole thing, including the lid, in boiling water for 2 minutes. Let cool/dry.</li><li>Fill the jar with dried cherries. Leave about a quarter of the jar for space, since the cherries will (hopefully) expand.</li><li>Add a heaping cup of sugar. Superfine sugar is a little better, if you can find it. Superfine dissolves more readily into your hooch of choice.</li><li>Add the brandy. Fill an inch or two above the cherries. I used about half E & J Gallo brandy, which is cheap ($8) and fairly crude crap intended for cooking. For the other half I used vodka. (My fave vodka for the money is <a href="http://www.titos-vodka.com/" target="_new">Tito's</a>). You can use 100% brandy or another liquor such as rum or everclear, but then you risk losing the delicate flavor of the cherries.</li><li>Stir the jar, or shake it-- whatever-- to dissolve the sugar completely.</li><li>Optional step -- add a pinch or two of allspice, which imparts a bit of a cinnamon kick. </li><li>Seal the top of the jar, and into the fridge with it.</li><li>The day you prepare it, try to remember to stir/shake it every few hours.</li><li>For the next day or two, you'll notice that some liquor is absorbed by the cherries, which start to plump up like grapes. Add more liquor if necessary to keep the cherries well immersed.</li></ol>Even after a few hours, you've got a drink garnish which kicks ass over obscenely fake maraschinos, and goes amazingly well with any drink or dessert that cries out for cherries. For example, try iced vodka straight-up with a few of these brandied beauties:<ul><li>Frozen martini glass</li><li>Iced vodka</li><li>3 or 4 brandied cherries on a toothpick</li><li>A tiny bit of cherry "juice", to taste</li></ul>[b]Note[/b]: Serving these to your s.o. is likely to get you [i]laid[/i], so decide in advance if that outcome is desirable.

Update: I almost forgot to mention that I added a pinch or two of allspice, which adds a little mystery flavor.

[MARV]

That sounds awesome. I also eschew cliche garnishes in favor of more home-grown or home-made options. For example, when making a martini, I like to use various olives from Fairway or Whole Foods in place of the more pedestrian green ones in the jar - you know which ones. Fresh herbs from my garden thrown in the shaker make for a kick-ass flavored vodka also. Basil, lemon balm, whatever. For my mojitos, I also make my own syrup from scratch with white sugar and hot water.

I've done the raisins soaked in rum thing. Yours sounds pretty good too. I'll try it.

<a href="http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/marvymarv/?action=view¤t=tick.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/marvymarv/tick.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[SallyLightfoot]

I don't often infuse vodka or other liquors with herbs or spices, but I am interested in experimenting with this a bit more.

I don't think I would ever make my own simple syrup-- that seems like a bit of a hassle for little gain. Trader Joe's has pure-cane simple syrup on the shelf, so that's my go-to source for that.

I recently infused simple syrup with jalapeno peppers for a spicy summer drink. I'll share that recipe in a future episode of "cocktail hour".

[Frau_Blucher]

[quote][i]Originally posted by mar#8730;[/i]
<br>I also eschew cliche garnishes
[/quote]
It's funny that Randy and I were in a fine Sushi establishment the other day, and he uttered these exact same words.

[MARV]

I'm envious that you actually shared a table with such a connoisseur. Tell me, what was the cultural scholar's dish of choice?

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[zill]

My mouth is watering just reading your description...thanks for the tip...

...though I don't need alcohol to get a little action [;)]

[SallyLightfoot]

[quote][i]Originally posted by zill[/i]<br>thanks for the tip...
...though I don't need alcohol to get a little action [;)][/quote]True, alcohol isn't always effective. Rufies? [:D]

[zill]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SallyLightfoot[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by zill[/i]<br>thanks for the tip...
...though I don't need alcohol to get a little action [;)][/quote]True, alcohol isn't always effective. Rufies? [:D]
[/quote]

...for the non-Asian crowd, a club always works...