Homemade cherry brandy is so easy to make and bursting with fresh cherry flavor!
With only 2 ingredients and a few simple steps you can have this gorgeous, fruity and delicious cherry brandy!
Sip it on it's own or use it in cocktails!
Whenever I can find cherries at the grocery store, I always come back home with more than I could possibly eat.
That's a good thing, because one of my favorite things to do with cherries is to preserve them so I can enjoy them all year long.
I had already made a Cherry Infused Bourbon that I then used to make an amazing Double Cherry Old Fashioned.
A jar of Homemade Maraschino Cherries was sitting in my fridge waiting for the next cocktail.
Then I remembered this post for Cherry Brandy, which has been sitting on the blog since 2007, with bad photos and no recipe! Perfect to remake!
Ingredients
Brandy - use your favorite brandy.
Cherries - you can use sour cherries, but I like to use deep red bing cherries.
Note - there is no sugar in this. My original recipe had sugar in it, which gave it more of a cherry liqueur feel. I already have a Dark Cherry Liqueur recipe that I love, so what I wanted to create here was a cherry infused brandy.
Instructions
Remove the stems from the cherries and place them in a jar.
Pour the brandy over the cherries.
Expert tip: You can make as much or as little cherry brandy as you'd like. The ratio is one pound of cherries to 3 cups of brandy.
Place a lid on the jar and store in a cool, dark place. I stored it in my garage, a pantry will also work.
Let steep for 2-3 weeks. Begin tasting at about 2 weeks to see if it has the desired flavor for you.
When the time is up, you'll need a strainer and a bowl to pour the brandy into.
Pour the brandy into a strainer.
You end up with cherry brandy and brandy infused cherries. We stored the cherries in the fridge and have been using them as a garnish for brandy cocktails.
Pour the cherry brandy into a lidded bottle. No need to refrigerate, you can store it at room temperature in a pantry.
This lasts almost indefinitely, but we try to use up all of our infused liquors within the year for best flavor.
This was so good! I can't believe I forgot about it and haven't made it since 2007!
I love just sipping it and pouring it over ice cream. I'll also be posting some brandy cocktails that you can use it in. It also makes a great gift!
More Fruit Infused Alcohol:
Recipe
Cherry Brandy
Ingredients
- ½ pound cherries
- 1 ½ cups brandy
Instructions
- Wash the cherries and remove the stems.
- Place the cherries in a jar and pour the brandy over them.
- Store in a cool, dark place for 2 to 3 weeks. Taste at 2 weeks and steep until desired strength is reached.
- Strain out the cherries and pour the brandy into a lidded bottle.
Notes
Equipment
Video
Nutrition
This was originally published in 2007 and has been updated for 2020.
Julia says
This looks so easy and delicious! Can't wait to make this soon. Can this be used in baking as well?
Pam Greer says
Yes! It would be wonderful in baking!
Toni says
I love homemade infusions and they make such great gifts! The flavor combination in the cherry brandy is perfect and so easy to make!
Liz says
I love that there isn't any added sugar in this recipe! I actually prefer my cocktails less on the sweet side! Great recipe!
Kathryn Donangelo says
This looks delicious and is a great way to use up cherries! I can't wait to make this for the holidays!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
Everything about this is christmas memories for me. Can't wait to try this.
Pam says
Melissa - I searched all over the internet and in books and decided that it sounded safe, but you'll have to make that decision for yourself. I did run the jars through the dishwasher first. My grandmother did this all the time with peaches.
melissa says
i like the simplicity of the recipe, but do you have any information regarding how safe it is? do the jars need to be boiled etc? can raw cherries really keep several months in just alcohol?
thanks!
Cevenol Jardin says
Hi The link you have there to our site for the cherry brandy recipe is no longer valid. We moved hosting companies yesturday and so the link will be broken. Please update http://www.masdudiable.com
Annika says
Oh yum. Yum yum yum. I usually have wayyy too many blackberries and raspberries from my garden and the blackberry bushes at the edges of country roads around my house, so I make liqueurs out of them. Incredibly easy to do, but what do you do with this stuff when you don't drink very much? And the same goes for raspberry jam and pies...too much of a good thing. Alas.
Kate says
Check out this blog.
http://coloredflag.blogspot.com/
Kate says
I hope you plan on sharing the cherry brandy with me - seeing as how I am your favorite daughter.
P.S. I like that first picture you took with the two figurians in the back. Very creative.