Cocktails with Maraschino cherries syrup
Maraschino cherries syrup is the sweet, red, cherry-and-almond sugar syrup that cocktail cherries are packed in — the liquid drained from the jar.
How it's used
It adds sugar, red color and a cherry-almond note that plain cherry syrup lacks. It makes most sense in drinks that already take the cherries, so nothing goes to waste. The jar matters most. Syrup from real marasca cherries is an ingredient in its own right. The liquid under neon-red cocktail cherries is corn syrup and dye, and tastes like it.
Substitutes for Maraschino cherries syrup
Cocktail cherry syrup
Pour the syrup from a jar of good cherries, like amarena, in the same measure.
Bottled cherry syrup
A great alternative. A single drop of almond extract brings right back the missing bitter-almond note.
This pomegranate syrup maintains the sweetness and red color, but leaves out the cherry and almond.
A poor choice. The clear liqueur holds less than half the sugar and quickly makes everything too alcoholic.
