maraschino in manhattan


Past the shores of the Adriatic Sea - in coastal Croatia - grows a cherry with stones of almond. 

The maraschino cherry:  a North American cultivation of the marasca cherry - typically losing marasca's finest attributes in place of neon syrup.  Sweet bing cherries avoid bird pluckage by falling off the tree and into our kitchens.  This is our Oregon equivalent.



maraschino cherries | makes 10 half-pints
brine:
2 teaspoons canning salt
10 cups water
4 pounds sweet cherries, pits removed (I like to keep my stems attached)

syrup:
3 cups water
juice of 1 lemon
1 ounce almond extract
red food coloring (if desired)
*You'll find that cherries keep their color when preserved in a sugar syrup, however a few drops of coloring can give you the ubiquitous red that so many recognize.

Combine 8 cups of water and the canning salt in a large pot.  Simmer over medium heat until the salt is dissolved.  Cool the brine slightly and add pitted cherries, allowing to brine for a minimum of an hour up to overnight.

Rinse the brined cherries in cold water and set aside.

Combine water, lemon juice, sugar and red coloring (if using) in a large pot over medium heat.  Bring just to a boil, then remove from heat.  Add the rinsed cherries to the syrup, cover, and let sit overnight.

After the cherries have macerated overnight, simmer the cherries in their syrup for 5 minutes.  Add almond extract and remove from heat.

Fill hot sterilized canning jars with cherries, gently shaking the jar to pack the cherries, then top with the hot syrup.  Process in a hot water bath for 10-15 minutes.  Allow the sealed jars to cool completely on a clean tea towel.  Refrigerate any unsealed jars immediately.



Like a true gentleman, my grandfather is imprinted in memory, as a true aficionado,  holding his idyllic American cigar and favorite liquid libation:  the manhattan.

the manhattan | serves 1
2:1 ratio whisky to sweet vermouth (my manhattan uses bourbon instead of the classic rye whisky)
a dash of Angostura bitters
a maraschino cherry

Stir bourbon, Italian vermouth and bitters with ice and strain into a glass, adding the quintessential maraschino cherry to finish.  Please do not shake this drink, as it bruises the bourbon and effectively ruins it (the bourbon becomes infused with water).  Serve straight up and savor.

(photo by Brian Baker - McMenamin's Edgefield whisky bar)

A great NY Times article about the maraschino cherry: a lost confection.

Comments

Popular Posts