Homemade cherry liqueur recipe

Cherry season is here! Instead of baking with them, why not make a cocktail? Have happy hour and dessert all in one with this homemade cherry liqueur.

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Cherry liqueur is easy to make; it just takes a little time. Once it’s ready, you can use it as the base for lots of fun summery cocktails. Bing cherries give this liqueur just the right amount of sweetness.

Homemade cherry liqueur

Yields about 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces Bing cherries, pitted and stems removed
• 1 cup vanilla vodka (or regular vodka)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake well to dissolve sugar. Let sit at room temperature for at one to two weeks, shaking occasionally.
2. Note: The longer the cherries infuse in the vodka, the stronger the cherry flavor will be.

Cherry-vanilla sparkler

Makes 1

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces cherry liqueur
• 2 ounces sparkling wine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla simple syrup (recipe follows)
• Splash of grenadine (for color)

Directions:

1. Gently mix all ingredients together and serve over ice.

Vanilla simple syrup

Yields about 2/3 cup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 vanilla bean

Directions:

1. Cut the vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife.
2. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, vanilla bean and seeds. Bring to a boil. Let mixture boil for about five minutes, then strain and cool.

More recipes with cherries

Chocolate cherry cordial pancakes
Summer cherry recipes
Cherry and mint cocktail