Cocktails are back in popularity and here to stay. Our cocktail classes and wine classes are proof of that - people love to drink but not just because of the effect of the alcohol. Our students love to learn about what they are drinking, the history of the spirit or wine, the sordid stories of prohibition, wars, famines, politics and romance associated with cocktails, wine and spirits. These stories inform our taste and excite our imagination which all add the enjoyment and celebration of libations.
The interest in cocktails has also brought with it the interest in all elements of the cocktail. We are thinking about the ice in our drink and how the shape and clarity effect the drink. We see a plethora of tonics all with different mineral qualities, sweetness and effervescence. We don’t just throw a piece of orange in our drink anymore; we might muddle it or torch the peel and twist the volatile oil over the surface of our Old Fashioned.
Olives aren’t just stuffed with the ubiquitous pimento, they might hold lemon peel, anchovy, blue cheese or jalapeno. Then there are the cherries, we don’t just see run of the mill maraschino cherry anymore, they are infused with spices, soaked in bourbon or vermouth or candied and soaked in cherry syrup. The later is the subject of this blog.
Luxardo is the maker of the original maraschino cherry. Many of you may be familiar with these delicacies but may not realize they are not simply jumping on the cherry bandwagon, Luxardo was at the forefront of the invention. The maraschino cherries I grew up with floating in the bottom of my Shirley Temple were a much later invention.
The Luxardo maraschino cherry is the real deal. In 1905, the distillery started selling cherries candied in a syrup of Marasca cherry juice and sugar, thus creating the original Maraschino cherry. Before it became known for its candied cherries,Luxardo was a distillery on the coast of what was once Croatia. The liqueur was made from sour Marasca cherries and made by distilling the fruit's leaves, stems, pits, and skins. It's those pits, by the way, that give the liqueur its characteristic nutty background flavor, which is often mistaken for almonds (see my blog on making your own Orgeat syrup). Stone fruits offer the same flavor profile: cherry, apricot, peach and plum pits all generate an almond quality when soaked in a neutral spirit like vodka.
World War II ravaged the Luxardo business and would have been the end if it were not for one family member, Giorgio Luxardo. Giorgio managed to flee to the Veneto region of northern Italy, taking with him a Marasca sapling and the family recipes. Luxardo's liqueur and cherries have been made in Italy ever since.
If you have purchased Luxardo cherries, you might be aware they are a relatively expensive maraschino cherry, probably averaging $20 a jar depending on where you live. I want to assure you they are worth every penny. There are many other types of cocktail cherries out there which are also delicious and more reasonably priced, but the Luxardo recipe involves the tedious process of candying the cherry. The recipe I developed tries to emulate this process for you. You may take one look at the recipe below and admit $20 is a very fare price.
I have looked at countless “mock Luxardo cherry recipes” and at large they do not seem to emulate the intricate process of candying the cherries. Most of the mock recipes I see simply cook the cherries with some spices, sugar and Luxardo liquor. This is not remotely like the true Luxardo cherries: they candy the fruit, they do not use their Luxardo liquor in the recipe and there are no spices in the recipe. True Luxardo cherries are simply candied cherries in cherry syrup.
Luxardo maraschino cherries are made with Marasca cherries, they are a variety of sour cherry. I cannot get Marasca sour cherries where I live in Michigan, but I can get fresh sour cherries during the mid-summer months, and I can get frozen already pitted sour cherries all year long. You can use either in this recipe. You can make a similar version of this recipe with sweet cherries if you can’t find sour cherries, and I am confident they will be delicious. Without the Marasca cherry, I cannot exactly imitate the true Luxardo recipe, but I think if you love Luxardo cherries and want to try a fun experiment which yields a high quality cocktail cherry with very similar characteristics, please give it a try.
“Mock” Luxardo Cherries
The main technique in this recipe is candying fruit. To candy fruit, the first step is to remove moisture from the cherries by blanching them and then to replace that water with a sugar syrup. The density of the sugar syrup is increased gradually over several days. The main issue you may run into in this process is crystallization of the sugar. We reduce the chance of crystallization by limited stirring and by adding citric acid.
Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe
*Feel free to cut this recipe in half if you like.
Step 1: Pit and Prepare Cherries
Wash fresh cherries and remove any leaves and stems. Pit cherries with a cherry or olive pitter.
If using frozen sour cherries, I would highly recommend you purchase already pitted cherries, that will shave two hours off of pitting the cherries.
*Feel free to use any available cherry you can find, just know the sweeter the cherry the sweeter the end result will be. You may wish to increase the citric acid to offset the sweetness. You would make the adjustment in the citric acid at the very end of the recipe after you have reduced the syrup.
Step 2: Blanch the Cherries
Blanching the cherries removes water from the cherries. This important step then allows you to then replace the liquid you have just removed from the cherries with the sugar syrup.
Place cherries and water in a 12-quart stock pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.
Drain the cherries or more easily use a slotted spoon or a spider and remove the cherries from the liquid and set aside.
Step 3/Day 1: Prepare the Syrup
Measure the liquid that the cherries were blanched in, discard all but 10 cups.
Put the cherry liquid back into the stock pot you blanched the cherries in. Add 10 cups of sugar and 1 teaspoon of citric acid to the liquid. Stir just enough to distribute the sugar in the liquid. Add the cherries to the syrup and bring them to a boil.
As soon as the liquid comes to a boil, turn it off. Ideally let the mixture cool to room temperature before placing the lid on the pot. This may not always be possible if you are short on time but it helps to keep excess moisture from collecting on the lid and adding additional liquid to the sugar syrup. After you place the lid on the pot let the cherries sit for 24 hours.
Day 2: Add Additional Sugar to the Syrup
Remove the cherries from the liquid. Add 2 cups of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of citric acid to the liquid. Stir the sugar just enough to distribute the sugar in the liquid.
As soon as the liquid comes to a boil, turn it off and add the cherries back in. Ideally, let the mixture cool to room temperature before placing the lid on the pot. This may not always be possible if you are short on time but it helps to keep excess moisture from collecting on the lid and adding additional liquid to the sugar syrup. After you place the lid on the pot let the cherries sit for 24 hours.
Day 3: Repeat the Process of Day 2
Repeat the process of exactly what you did on day 2.
Day 4: Repeat the Process of Day 3
Repeat the process of exactly what you did on day 3.
Day 5: Repeat the Process of Day 4
Repeat the process of exactly what you did on day 4.
Let the cherries sit in the syrup covered for 5 days at room temperature.
Step 4/Day 10 Dry the Cherries
Place the cherries on a cooling rack over a sheet pan and let sit at room temperature for 5 days. This help to dry the fruit slightly and create the distinct texture of the exterior of the fruit.
Keep the cherry liquid in the pot covered until day 15.
Step 5/Day 15 Reduce the Syrup and Can the Cherries
Wash 8 8-ounce canning jars with soap and water. Place lids and jars in a 200-degree oven for at least 20 minutes to sanitize. You can keep these in the oven until you are ready to can the cherries.
Turn the heat on medium and reduce the cherry syrup by 1/3rd. If a foam forms on the surface skim that off and discard it. Be careful of this process, adjust the heat so that it is bubbling slightly but not boiling so much that is boils over. This sugary syrup will burn easily if too hot and can easily overflow your pan and make a hideous mess on your stove!
Once the syrup has been reduced, turn off the heat and add 2 teaspoons of citric acid and 3 tablespoons of cherry extract. Feel free to add more of both to adjust to your taste.
A canning funnel or wide mouth funnel will help to reduce mess if you have one. Place about an inch of syrup into the hot jar. Next fill the jar with cherries, do not pack them in, you want room for a good amount of syrup. Fill the jar with more syrup and place the lid onto the jar. Within an hour or so you will hear the lids start to pop, you know you have a seal when this happens. You can also use a jar with a screw top lid or a hinge lid, you will need to refrigerate these jars of cherries since they don’t have a hermetic seal.
The high ratio of sugar in these cherries inhibits bacterial growth so these cherries can be stored at room temperature for up to a year or in the refrigerator for more than a year. Refrigerate after opening. Refrigeration will ultimately lead to crystallization, but I don’t think these cherries will stick around long enough to worry about that!
*You will have extra syrup. Feel free to put the leftover syrup in a jar and save it. Many of my friends love the syrup in their cocktails as much as they like the cherries! You can also pour it over ice cream or countless other desserts.
I know this recipe takes time to prepare but patience is a virtue, right? If you can't wait to learn more cocktail recipes, their ingredients and history, join us for an upcoming class:
Wash fresh cherries and remove any leaves and stems. Pit cherries with a cherry or olive pitter.
Place cherries and water in a 12-quart stock pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.
Drain the cherries, or more easily use a slotted spoon or a spider, and remove the cherries from the liquid and set aside.
Measure the liquid that the cherries were blanched in, discard all but 10 cups.
Put the cherry liquid back into the stock pot you blanched the cherries in. Add 10 cups of sugar and 1 teaspoon of citric acid to the liquid. Stir just enough to distribute the sugar in the liquid. Add the cherries to the syrup and bring them to a boil.
As soon as the liquid comes to a boil, turn it off. Ideally let the mixture cool to room temperature before placing the lid on the pot. After you place the lid on the pot let the cherries sit for 24 hours.
Remove the cherries from the liquid. Add 2 cups of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of citric acid to the cherries. Stir the sugar just enough to distribute the sugar in the liquid.
As soon as the liquid comes to a boil turn it off and add the cherries back in. Ideally let the mixture cool to room temperature before placing the lid on the pot. After you place the lid on the pot let the cherries sit for 24 hours.
Repeat the process of exactly what you did on day 2.
Repeat the process of exactly what you did on day 3.
Repeat the process of exactly what you did on day 4.
Let the cherries sit in the syrup covered for 5 days at room temperature.
Place the cherries on a cooling rack over a sheet pan and let sit at room temperature for 5 days. This help to dry the fruit slightly and create the distinct texture of the exterior of the fruit.
Keep the cherry liquid in the pot covered until day 15.
Wash 8 8-ounce canning jars with soap and water. Place lids and jars in a 200-degree oven for at least 20 minutes to sanitize. You can keep these in the oven until you are ready to can the cherries.
Turn the heat on medium and reduce the cherry syrup by 1/3rd. If a foam forms on the surface, skim that off and discard it. Be careful of this process, adjust the heat so that it is bubbling slightly but not boiling so much that is boils over.
Once the syrup has been reduced, turn off the heat and add 2 teaspoons of citric acid and 3 tablespoons of cherry extract. Feel free to add more of both to adjust to your taste.
Using a canning funnel or wide mouth funnel, place about an inch of syrup into the hot jar. Next fill the jar with cherries, do not pack them in, you want room for a good amount of syrup. Fill the jar with more syrup and place the lid onto the jar. Within an hour or so you will hear the lids start to pop, you know you have a seal when this happens.
These cherries can be stored at room temperature for up to a year or in the refrigerator for more than a year. Refrigerate after opening.