preserving sour cherries in bourbon- begging urgent advice

[chickenluv]

Dear Hounders,
I just picked up some sour cherries, the last of the season I am told, from my local farmer's market. They need to be dealt with because I don't want them sitting out for too long... some are a bit soft. I want to preserve some in Bourbon. I have gone through the various past threads and am having trouble finding details. I want these to keep for a while... should I sugar them first? If so what part cherry to sugar to bourbon. Should I cook them first? in a simple syrup?

Or can I just wash them, pit them, and plop them in a jar with bourbon to cover?

What about Luxano Marachino? If I use Luxano do I also add sugar?

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated,
Chick

[wekick]

Another thing to do with cherries and bourbon-
Wild Cherry Bounce
We use sour cherries for this.
In a clean jar mix equal amounts of cherries and sugar-Mix well and cover with bourbon(or rum,brandy,vodka)
Stir daily for a week and then keep until Christmas.
I have a jar that has a glass top and it is not tight.
Drink the liquid and the cherries kind of dissolve.

[JoanN]

Just discovered this thread. Perhaps a bit late for this season, but I macerate sour cherries in maraschino liqueur each year to have with bourbon Manhattans all winter long. I've used Luxardo brand in the past, but I've also used Stock brand and haven't been aware of a noticeable difference.

Unlike many recipes for macerated cherries, I pit them. I simply don't like having to spit out pits when I'm finished with my Manhattan--even though having the stems attached is very pretty. Because sour cherries are so much firmer than sweet cherries, Bing for instance, I find the texture holds up well to the liqueur even more than a year later. And I don't add sugar. It doesn't seem necessary. I tried macerating Bing cherries in bourbon and did add sugar, but I didn't like the texture of them and haven't done that again.

[jayhawker]

Here is a link to an NPR story about maraschino cherries. Among the recipes at the bottom of the article is a simple one for homemade maraschino cherries using Luxardo liqueur.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

[ricepad]

Google is your friend: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&am...

[nofunlatte]

Eat the cherries. Then drink the bourbon. That should work :)

Seriously, I"m glad you asked this, because I saw some lovely sour cherries at the market and may pick some up next time. I'll be doing the same thing!

[greygarious]

A thread from this week: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7145...

[callmijane]

No need to cook, no simple syrup, you don't even need to pit them if you don't want to! Just layer cherries and sugar, then cover with bourbon. Jim beam is fine, nothing fancy. Shake every once in a while, and let sit at least a month.

[Kooper]

Does anyone know how long they will keep? I did them in the summer and they got pushed to the back of my fridge and I forgot about them. I would hate to waste the cherries and all that Bourbon.

[bushwickgirl]

They are most likely preserved indefinitely. I once had a bottle of cherries preserved in brandy, from Italy, for 5 years. Just as good on day 1,820 as they were on day 1. Break them out for the holidays.

[JoanN]

Indefinitely sounds about right. I had some in the fridge, got called out of town for more than a year, and I'm still continuing to work my way through them.

[wekick]

If the fruit is too far gone in appearance just strain it. I made the base for sangria out of stone and citrus fruits, brandy and sugar and left it in the frig for months. It didn't look all that great because the fruit disintegrated but I strained it and put new fruit in and it was the most delicious that I ever made.

[karykat]

Great idea to strain out the old fruit (which can get pale looking and not that appetizing) once it has given up all its flavor to the liquid and then replace with new fruit.

That way you get the benefit of both -- the flavor and the nice appearance.

[coll]

I have some regular cherries in the back of the fridge that are at least two years old....now I know what to have for cocktail hour tonight! Cherry cordial sounds festive enough. I don't even remember for sure what the liquor is, maybe Kirschwasser?

[wekick]

If it wasn't Kirshwasser, it is now.

[coll]

Ultra-Kirschwasser! Maybe it has extra antioxident properties.

[geminigirl]

great idea with the sangria suggestion. I will also use this idea with my canned peaches which always have a ton of leftover juice and would be a great addition. I also sometimes freeze it and add it to some sort of smoothie / frozen margarita....

[morwen]

I did Oxheart cherries in port this year. Oxhearts are sweet like Bings. I didn't measure because the "recipe" I followed didn't give measurements. It said to put a layer of pitted cherries in a jar, generously sprinkle them with sugar, and repeat until the jar is full. Then pour in the alcohol of choice to fill the jar and cover the cherries. Cap and shake. Shake the jar whenever you think about it to mix the sugar, cherry juice and alcohol. Allow to age for several months. Maybe since you are using tart cherries you might want to be a little more generously generous with the sugar.

I've never tasted Luxano, but I also made Maraschino cherries with Queen Anne cherries (more tart than Oxhearts, way less sour than pie cherries). I found several Maraschino recipes that called for both Luxano and sugar. The recipe I used didn't call for Luxano. (The nearest liquor store to me is 45 minutes away and I was betting they didn't have Luxano!). If the stuff is sweet on it's own you probably wouldn't have to add a lot of extra sugar.