I hate maraschino cherries. They are too sweet and rubbery and I can't understand why anyone would ever use them as a cocktail garnish. I recently found a way better cherry garnish: sour cherries in light syrup. They come in a jar and they don't have a very sweet syrup, so the cherries retain some tartness and still taste like actually cherries, instead of nasty, gummy sugar balls. I have also used them in pies and as a cake filling, mixed with some other fresh fruit and they are always delicious.
In these cocktails, I used the juice the cherries are packed in, as well as the cherries for garnish. The tartness from the cherries and lemon is perfect against the near cloying sweetness of amaretto. Excellent for a festive cocktail party or for ringing in the new year. You can easily multiply the recipe to make a pitcher for a bigger crowd (or a thirstier crowd).
amaretto sour cherry sour
serves 4
- 4 ounces amaretto
- 2 ounces lemon juice
- 3 ounces sour cherry juice
- 5 dashes bitters
- sour cherries for garnish
Shake everything but the cherries in a cocktail shaker with ice and pour into four glasses with an ice cube in each. Garnish with a skewer of cherries.
Cheers!
