Hey Ya’ll! 

Well, it’s officially December which means it’s crunch time for Christmas presents. Homemade gifts have been all the rage the last few years & if it’s coming from us, it’s safe to assume that your gift will likely incorporate coffee and or booze 😉 

Insert these ridiculously delicious, freshly made Brandied Cherries – you’ll wanna make sure to double the batch so you can keep some of these around the house for yourselves! We’ve seen several recipes on the interwebs & decided to go with a mash-up of a couple we really liked. Ours is a light-cook recipe that keeps the alcohol in the pot (no boil). 
🍒🎉🍒🎉🍒🎉🍒🎉🍒🎉🍒🎉🍒

Here’s What You’ll Need:

✅ 2 lbs Organic Dark Cherries 

✅ 3 Cups Brandy (feel free to use the cheap stuff here y’all!) 

✅ 3/4 Cup White Sugar 

✅ 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar 

✅ 1 TSP Vanilla Extract 

✅ 1 TSP Almond Extract

Let’s Get Started: 

1. I promise this first step is the hardest part of the entire recipe; we need to start by de-stemming & de-pitting all two pounds of the cherries & placing them into two 24 oz Ball Jars. If you’re in the market for a new single cherry/olive pitter; we’d recommend this one from OXO. Once in the jars, set aside.  

2.  Next, combine the brandy with both sugars & both extracts over medium-low heat in a medium pot. You want to warm the ingredients enough to emulsify the sugars but not bring the mixture to a boil. Once thoroughly combined, go ahead & turn off the heat. 

3. Allow the mixture to cool a bit in the pot prior to funneling it into the ball jars over your pitted cherries.     

4. Fill each jar to the neck & cap once cool. 

Storage:

• These will do just fine in the fridge or in a dark cabinet given the high-proof alcohol present in the mix. 

Usage:

• Just like old pappy used to say, good things come to those who wait. Free free to use these right away of course; however, keep in mind these cherries will get better with some age.

Well, I’m thinking now is a good time as any to go ahead & mix yourself up a proper Old Fashioned & toss a few of these cherries in as garnish, I’ll cheers to that!

 

 

Adapted from: Cocktail Dudes