Fruit syrup
Cherry Syrup
Sweet dark cherries, a squeeze of lemon and an optional drop of almond. Real-fruit syrup for cherry limeades and Old Fashioneds.
- 35 min total
- 1¾ cups420 ml
- Keeps 2 weeks
Quick answer
Cherry syrup is pitted cherries simmered in 1:1 simple syrup, mashed, strained and sharpened with lemon juice. Simmer 2 cups pitted cherries with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water for 10 minutes, steep 15 minutes, strain, add lemon and a drop of almond extract, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Sweet cherries have plenty of flavor but little acidity, so on their own they make a syrup that tastes flat. A tablespoon of lemon juice fixes that, and a tiny drop of almond extract adds the deep, maraschino-like note most people think of as cherry.
Bags of frozen pitted dark cherries are the easy route: no pitting, no stained fingers, and the syrup is every bit as good as one made with fresh.
Tastesdark cherryalmondbright
The recipe
Cherry Syrup
Ingredients for 1¾ cups420 ml
You’ll need: small saucepan, masher, fine-mesh strainer, swing-top bottle, sparkling water makersmall saucepan, masher, fine-mesh strainer, swing-top bottle, sparkling water maker
Method
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Combine
Add the cherries, sugar and water to a small saucepan. Frozen cherries can go in straight from the bag.
2 cups310 g sweet dark cherries1 cup200 g granulated sugar1 cup240 ml water
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Simmer
Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until the cherries are soft and the syrup is deep red.
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Mash and steep
Crush the cherries with a potato masher, take the pan off the heat and steep for 15 minutes.
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Strain
Pour through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing lightly on the fruit.
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Finish
Stir in the lemon juice and the almond extract, if using. Let it cool, then bottle and refrigerate.
1 tbsp1 tbsp fresh lemon juice1⁄8 tsp1⁄8 tsp almond extract
Storage. Refrigerate in a sealed bottle for up to 2 weeks. Freeze extra in ice-cube trays for up to 3 months.
Per 1 tbsp (15 ml): about 28 kcal, 7.1 g sugar (estimate).
How to use it
Cherry limeade
1 oz (30 ml) cherry syrup and ½ oz (15 ml) lime juice in 8 oz (240 ml) lemon-lime soda or sparkling water, with a lime wedge.
Cherry Old Fashioned
¼–½ oz (7–15 ml) with 2 oz (60 ml) bourbon and 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Stir with ice and garnish with a cherry.
Cherry Lime Rickey
2 oz (60 ml) gin, ¾ oz (22 ml) lime juice and ½ oz (15 ml) cherry syrup over ice, topped with soda water.
Full recipe and historyCherry whiskey sour
2 oz (60 ml) bourbon, ¾ oz (22 ml) lemon juice and ¾ oz (22 ml) cherry syrup. Shake hard with ice and strain.
Cherry-vanilla Italian soda
1 oz (30 ml) syrup in 8 oz (240 ml) sparkling water over ice, topped with 1 tbsp (15 ml) cream.
Desserts
Drizzle over vanilla ice cream, cheesecake, pancakes or Greek yogurt.
Classic drinks with Cherry syrup
Gear for this recipe
OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Potato Masher
Crushes berries and stone fruit right in the pan so fruit syrups pull out more color and flavor. Faster than a muddler.
Best for Big-batch fruit syrups
SodaStream Terra Sparkling Water Maker
Best for Homemade sodas every day
Otis Classic 16 oz Swing-Top Glass Bottles (6-pack)
Best for Storing and gifting any syrup
Cuisinart Fine Mesh Stainless Strainers (set of 3)
Best for Every infused or fruit syrup
More gear for this recipe (2)
Pure Almond Extract (2 oz)
Best for Nut and stone-fruit syrups
Cuisinart Chef's Classic 1.5 qt Stainless Saucepan with Lid
Best for Every stovetop syrup
Tips for the best batch
- Pitting fresh cherries? Push a sturdy straw or chopstick through the stem end to pop the pit out. Work inside a bowl and wear an apron.
- Leave the pits out of the pot. Almond extract gives that kernel-like flavor without simmering or cracking pits.
- The strained cherries are a bonus: spoon them over ice cream or fold them into pancake batter.
- Taste before adding all the almond extract. Start with a few drops; too much tastes like marzipan.
Variations
Sour cherry syrup
Use tart (Montmorency or morello) cherries, add 50 g (¼ cup) extra sugar and skip the lemon. Tangier and very cocktail-friendly.
Cherry-vanilla
Simmer half a split vanilla bean with the fruit. Excellent in cream sodas and cherry colas.
Bourbon cherry
Stir 30 ml (2 tbsp) bourbon into the cooled syrup for an Old Fashioned-ready syrup.
Questions people ask
Can I use frozen cherries for cherry syrup?
Yes. Frozen pitted cherries are the easiest option. Add them straight from the freezer and simmer a couple of minutes longer.
Is cherry syrup the same as grenadine?
No. Real grenadine is pomegranate; bottled grenadine only tastes of cherry because it's artificially flavored. Cherry syrup can stand in for it in a Shirley Temple, but the flavor is different.
How do I make cherry syrup taste like maraschino?
Add about ⅛ teaspoon almond extract to the finished syrup. That almond note is what most people recognize as classic cherry flavor.
How long does homemade cherry syrup last?
About 2 weeks in the fridge. Freeze it in ice-cube trays for up to 3 months.