You know what’s easier than you expect? Making delicious Bourbon Cherries for your cocktails and ice cream sundaes. It’s like fifteen minutes of work before a little wait. Here’s what you need:
• Some cherries
• A cherry pitter
• A canning jar
• Bourbon
• A label (if you’re fancy)
First, you rinse the cherries — durr.
Next you pit the cherries with your trusty cherry pitter. This is the delightful Miss Anna Beth Chao getting all Vanna White with mine, which is called a Cherry Chomper. His name is Nigel, and I love him.
Well done. You pitted those with prejudice.
Now pour some bourbon up in there. Make sure all the cherries are covered.
What? You’re done. The hell, right?
Well actually, you’ll want to store the jar in a cool, dark place, and give it a shake once a day or so for four weeks before you crack it open. But still! So easy.
Mighty Girl 
Thanks for posting! We made a sour cherry liquor last summer with vodka. Holy mother was it delicious. Made amazing cocktails. Currently expirmenting with blackberry cordial. This would be good both with the cherries AND the cherry bourbon. Mmmmmmmmm!
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This is awesome! Any idea how long they would be good for? I think this would make a lovely Christmas gift but I’d love to use summer cherries 😉
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Neat! Can you (or your brilliant readers) suggest some good cocktail recipes to use these with? The only bourbon cocktail I know is a Mint Julep!
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Mmmmmmmmm.
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WANT.
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Definitely make cherry manhattans or old fashioneds. Or …. drink straight, like I did this weekend. (I may or may not have no less than 5 variations of cherry liquors infusing in my cupboard right now.)
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ps – Aside from adding them to an old fashioned (or just nomnomnoming them from the jar with no restraint – also a perfectly decent option), you can add a shot of the bourbon and a cherry to a shot of sweet vermouth (I like Carpano Antica.) over ice with a wedge of lemon.
Sadly all of our cherry trees suffered an early bloom followed by an early frost. But there’s still bourbon!
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Nigel the Cherry Chomper looks like he could be my new best friend. Pardon me for being so uncouth, but does he poop out the pits when his little transparent abdomen gets full? Because I would buy him right now just to see that happen.
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You mean NAKED Bourbon Cherries of course, beacsue AB is clearly nude. 🙂
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That’s almost as brilliant as vodka gummi bears!
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Anna Beth needs to know that that is one very foxy photo.
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ABC – nude with Nigel.
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I’m embarrassed to say that while I’ve bought these and not been thrilled with the quality and wondered where to get better ones, it has never occurred to me to make them myself! Clearly I need to knock that off.
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Yes. Two of my favorite things – bourbon and cherries. Although, actually, one of my favorites is technically not a bourbon, it is George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey….but still….
I will be doing this!
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What you didn’t say was that these are naked bourbon cherries. Yow.
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ABC sure has some nice clavicles. And shoulders. And Buddy Holly frames. Yowza.
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Cool!
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Preppers will love this! Thanks so much. It’s the easy canning project ever with such high rewards. Yum!
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Where can I score me a Nigel?
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Oh, you label your jar! So obvious in retrospect, and yet…. You cheat yourself of the moment when you find the forgotten jar of lumpy viscousness in the back of the refrigerator, and then your horror evanesces as you recognize a delightful surprise gift from Past You. Maraschino cherries, made with actual maraschino liqueur, are also excellent.
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These look great and will be made, but in honesty I’m probably most excited by the fact that the Cherry Chomper is also available in the UK and thus will soon be mine…
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