• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Recipes
  • Lovely Ideas
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
She Keeps a Lovely Home
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Lovely Ideas
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
×
Home » Gluten-Free » Spiced Maraschino Cherries

Spiced Maraschino Cherries

Published: Dec 8, 2021 by Genevieve Morrison · This post may contain affiliate links

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
A jar of cherries in syrup beside a bowl of cherries on a lace table cloth beside a pile of cinnamon stick and a few cloves.

This spiced maraschino cherry recipe is the easiest one you’ll find! It’s also the most exciting! Clove and cinnamon give these delicious cherries a delightful autumn-winter flavor that turns desserts and cocktails into exquisite holiday treats. They also make wonderful gifts!

A bowl of maraschino cherries in syrup on a lace table cloth beside 3 cinnamon sticks and a few scattered cloves.
Contents hide
1 Why This Recipe is Special
2 Ingredient Notes
3 How to Make this Maraschino Cherry Recipe – Step by Step
4 Common Questions
5 A Few Tips
6 A Little More Cocktail Inspiration
7 Shop the Ingredients
8 Spiced Maraschino Cherries

I love whisky cocktails and I love cocktails with maraschino cherries! My favorite is the Manhattan, and my favorite maraschino cherry is the Luxardo. However, I think I’ll be making my own from now on because these are even better!

Those spices make me feel so jolly that I even pour a little bit of the cherry juice into the cocktail! I call it a “Christmas in Manhattan.” It’s perfect for folks who like their whisky cocktails with a little sweetness.

Also, most store-bought maraschino cherries are full of some pretty nasty ingredients like dyes, preservatives, bleaching chemicals, brining chemicals and artificial sugars – nothing you want to put in a cocktail or place on top of an ice cream sundae.

These cherries just contain cherries. No harmful chemicals, no dyes, no-nonsense.

A cocktail garnished with 2 cherries and rosemary on a table with a small bowl of cherries.
A Manhattan with a little spiced cherry juice.

Why This Recipe is Special

The recipe is really, really easy – The hardest part about most maraschino cherry recipes is the pitting. This recipe calls for frozen, pitted cherries, so the toughest part is removed entirely.

They make such a lovely gift – Make a nice batch, grab yourself a few jars and give these charming cherries to your friends and family! They look so pretty tied with a bow!

They require just 7 ingredients – Not including water, they require just a few ingredients to make them taste spectacular!

Ingredient Notes

8 ingredients on a table for making maraschino cherries with labels saying what they are.

Frozen Cherries – frozen cherries are essential for this recipe. You’re going to allow them to thaw overnight over a bowl, releasing some of the tasty juices. I used “Organic, Dark, Sweet Cherries” from Fresh Direct. They come pitted, which makes the process 100% easier than if they were fresh. If you use another brand, look for pitted rainier or bing cherries.

Sugar – There’s more sugar in this recipe than in most maraschino cherry recipes. I think the best cherries come in a nice, thick syrup, and the high sugar content preserves them for longer, so don’t cut back on that sugar.

Vanilla Extract – as always, use a quality, real vanilla extract. Not imitation.

Fresh Lemon Juice – Use only fresh-squeezed lemon. No bottled juice.

How to Make this Maraschino Cherry Recipe – Step by Step

A collage of 4 numbered images showing how to thaw cherries and make spiced syrup.

1. Begin by thawing 10 ounces of frozen cherries overnight (or 8 hours) over a bowl in a strainer to allow juices to release. 

2. Once the cherries have had time to thaw, pour all of the released juice into a measuring cup.

3. Add 3 tsp. fresh lemon juice, 1 tbsp. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur and 1 tsp. real vanilla extract. Then, add just enough water to fill up to 6 oz.

4. Into a small/medium-size pot, pour cherry mixture and 1 cup white granulated sugar. Simmer on LOW and stir gently until sugar is dissolved – about 30 seconds.

A collage of 4 numbered images showing how to make maraschino cherries.

5. Add 6 cinnamon sticks and 2 tbsp. cloves. Simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Remove cinnamon sticks and place them in a jar or container that comes with a lid.

7. Add thawed cherries to the jar, and pour the cherry juice mixture and cloves in. Place the lid on top and refrigerate for 24 hours.

8. Pour everything into a strainer over a bowl and remove the cherries, picking off any stray cloves. Place the cherries back in the jar and pour the strained cherry juice back in with the cherries. They will last for up to 3 months if refrigerated.

Common Questions

1. What can I do with these maraschino cherries?

Use them for cocktail garnishes for Manhattans, Aviations, Old Fashions, Last Words, Rob Roys, Mary Pickfords, El Presidentes, Vieux Carres, Brooklyns, Bijous or most cocktails that use Maraschino Liqueur.  

You can also use them to top desserts like sundaes, trifles, cupcakes, pan cotta, granita, cheesecake, brownies, cobblers, puddings and breakfasts like pancakes and waffles! 

2. What makes them “maraschino?”

The name originates from the marasca cherry of Croatia. They were pickled and preserved in a liqueur made from the juices. They became popular in the rest of Europe in the 19th century and were considered a delicacy for royals and the aristocracy. Today, the term mostly means “preserved and sweetened cherry.”

3. How long will they last? 

These aren’t “canned” cherries, so they will last for 2-3 months. If you want to properly can them though, they’ll last for years before opening.

A Few Tips

1. Keep them refrigerated. Even though they contain a lot of preserving sugar, they’ll stay fresh longer when refrigerated.

2. To make things even easier, wrap cloves in cheesecloth, tied with baker’s string. I don’t mind picking the cherries out one by one once they’ve soaked in the cloves and cinnamon sticks, but you might want to just dump them, remove the cinnamon sticks and not have to worry about picking off some of the cloves.

3. Don’t let them soak with the cloves and cinnamon for more than 24 hours. The flavor becomes too overwhelming and not very appetizing. 24 hours is the perfect amount of time.

A jar of cherries in syrup beside a bowl of cherries on a lace table cloth beside a pile of cinnamon stick and a few cloves.
A book cover with a title that says “Elegant Appetizers,” beside a title that says “Don’t forget your free ebook! Subscribe.”

A Little More Cocktail Inspiration

  • A whisky cocktail on a black table, surrounded by pink roses, garnished with a prosciutto rose and olive.
    5 Pretty Rose Garnishes for Cocktails, Appetizers & Entrees
  • A cocktail on a table with 3 small flowers at its base and a spoon, wet with hibiscus tea, and sprinkled with flowers.
    Homemade Hibiscus Liqueur
  • A small bottle of pear-ginger syrup on a table, along with a sliced pear, a small bowl of ginger and small pear slices.
    Homemade Pear & Ginger Cocktail Syrup
  • A small cup of cocktail lavender next to a small bowl of dry lavender flowers on a marble table.
    Homemade Cocktail Lavender

Shop the Ingredients

A bottle of vanilla extract beside a box.
A bag of frozen cherries.
A bag of organic cloves.
A container of cinnamon sticks.

For more inspiration, subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Instagram, on Pinterest, tiktok, and Facebook! And if you ever make any of my tasty drinks or treats, take a picture and tag me. I want to see!

A bowl of maraschino cherries in syrup on a lace table cloth beside 3 cinnamon sticks and a few scattered cloves.

Spiced Maraschino Cherries

This spiced maraschino cherry recipe is the easiest one you’ll find! It’s also the most exciting! Clove and cinnamon give these delicious cherries a delightful autumn-winter flavor that turns desserts and cocktails into exquisite holiday treats. They also make wonderful gifts!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Garnish
Cuisine: International
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes minutes
Thawing and soaking: 1 day day 8 hours hours
Total Time: 1 day day 8 hours hours 18 minutes minutes
Servings: 30 cherries
Calories: 42kcal
Author: Genevieve Morrison

Equipment

  • bowl
  • mesh strainer
  • small/medium-sized pot
  • 8 oz. measuring cup
  • mixing spoon
  • 10-15 ounce jar or container with lid

Ingredients

  • 10 oz. cherries – frozen and pitted
  • ¼ cup water – depending on how much cherry juice releases
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar
  • 6 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 tbsp. cloves
  • 3 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
  • 1 tsp. real vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Begin by thawing 10 ounces of frozen cherries overnight (or 8 hours) over a bowl in a strainer to allow juices to release. Once the cherries have had time to thaw, pour all of the released juice into a measuring cup.
  • Add 3 tsp. fresh lemon juice, 1 tbsp. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur and 1 tsp. real vanilla extract. Then, add just enough water to fill up to 6 oz.
  • Into a small/medium-size pot, pour cherry mixture and 1 cup white granulated sugar.  Simmer on LOW and stir gently until sugar is dissolved, about 30 seconds.
  • Add 6 cinnamon sticks and 2 tbsp. cloves. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks and place them in a jar or container that comes with a lid.
  • Add thawed cherries to the jar, and pour the cherry juice mixture and cloves in. Place the lid on top and refrigerate for 24 hours.
  • Pour everything into a strainer over a bowl and remove the cherries, picking off any stray cloves. Place the cherries back in the jar and pour the strained cherry juice back in with the cherries.

Notes

Keep them refrigerated. Even though they contain a lot of preserving sugar, they’ll say fresh longer when refrigerated.
To make things a bit easier, wrap cloves in cheesecloth. I don’t mind picking the cherries out one by one once they’ve soaked in the cloves and cinnamon sticks, but you might want to just dump them, remove the cinnamon sticks and not have to worry about picking off some of the cloves.
Don’t let them soak with the cloves and cinnamon for more than 24 hours. The flavor becomes too overwhelming and not very appetizing. 24 hours is the perfect amount of time.
They will last for 2-3 months. If you want to properly can them though, they’ll last for years before opening.
 
See post for detailed instructions with photos of the process.
Nutrition information is an estimate.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cherry | Calories: 42kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
« How to Decorate a Christmas Tree with Artificial Flowers
Cute Christmas Wreath Appetizers »
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Reader Interactions

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




I accept the Privacy Policy

Primary Sidebar

Hello there!

Hello there!

My name is Genevieve, and I'm just trying to be a little fancier today than I was yesterday. Sharing recipes for the creative host or hostess that are simple, elegant and colorful too!

Winner!

Awards Banner

Get Your Free e-book!

The cover of a cookbook that says "Elegant Appetizers” with deviled eggs on a marble background with flowers in the corners.

Winter Inspiration

A bowl of baked mashed potatoes on a table with a lace tablecloth.

Baked Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic and Herbed Goat Cheese

2 bowls of cauliflower soup and a small bowl of croutons on a lace table cloth.

Coconut Curry Cauliflower Soup

A slice of bread pudding on a plate.

Bread Pudding with Salted Whisky Caramel

A shepherd's pie in a bowl on a lace table cloth.

Easy Shepherd’s Pie with Red Wine

Antipasto appetizers on a plate with a title that says "10 Lovely Holiday Appetizers."

10 Lovely Holiday Appetizers

A pear and ginger cocktail, garnished with sliced pears on a cocktail pin and a few baby's breath flowers.

Sparkling Pear & Ginger Cocktail

Featured In

A list of 7 logos.

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Footer

↑ back to top

About

About Me

Privacy Policy

Newsletter

Sign Up! for my newsletter

Contact

Email Me!

Copyright © 2024 She Keeps a Lovely Home

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.