---
title: "Cocktail Cherries"
url: "https://probablyworthsharing.com/recipes/cocktail-cherries/"
author: "Marko Savic"
published: "2022-07-19"
type: "recipe"
description: "I went to my dad's and picked 28lbs of cherries. What do you do when you have too many cherries? Make cocktail cherries. This recipe is for kid-friendly…"
---

# Cocktail Cherries

I went to my dad's and picked 28lbs of cherries. What do you do when you have too many cherries? Make cocktail cherries.

This recipe is for kid-friendly cocktail cherries. They're amazing on ice cream, in drinks, in desserts – or straight out of the jar with a fork. They were so good I made 5 more jars immediately after filming this video.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TrnHTsc6xU

## Ingredients

* 250g Water
* 250g Sugar
* 250g Sweet Cherries or Sour Cherries
* 15g Vanilla Extract

**Scaling the recipe**

The cherry quantity will vary based on the size of your jars and your cherries. If you plan to make a lot of cocktail cherries (and you should – they make great gifts), keep the 1:1 ratio of water and sugar for the simple syrup.

## Method

Make the simple syrup by bringing 1:1 water and sugar to a boil, then allow it to cool to room temperature.

Add any flavourings, such as vanilla, to a clean jar.

Fill your jar with pitted cherries to the top. Squish them down a bit, you can fit quite a lot of them.

Pour over the simple syrup until your jar is full. Close and store in the fridge.

Cocktail cherries will taste best after 5 days and will store up to 6 months in the fridge.

#### Recipe notes:

**Pitting cherries**

If you don’t have a cherry pitter, I highly recommend that you get the [Norpro 5151 Deluxe Cherry Pitter with Suction Base](https://amzn.to/3zfwluq) ([Amazon](https://amzn.to/3zfwluq)). I used it to pit 28lbs of cherries in no time at all. I found it more reliable and much faster than the Oxo hole-punch style pitter for only a few dollars more.

**Types of cherries**

I’ve made this with both sweet cherries and sour cherries. Both turn out great. I find the sour cherries more interesting.

**Flavoring**

You can flavor the cherries with vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, orange peel, star anise, or other spices.

* For almond extract, use it very sparingly – only 3g (1/4-1/2 tsp).
* For whole, dry spices, use one cinnamon stick or one star anise.
* For citrus, use the peel of one orange.

**Boozy cocktail cherries**

To make these boozy, replace half the simple syrup with the alcohol of your choice – such as rum, bourbon, or cherry liquer.