Brandied Cherries | Cherry Home Companion

Saveur Magazine republished this recipe from Patty LaNoue Stearns' Cherry Home Companion (Traverse City: Arbutus Press, 2002), noting "it takes 6 weeks for results, but is well worth the effort."

Photo: Brooke Slezak via Saveur

Brandied Cherries

Makes about 2 QTS

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
32-oz brandy (4 cups)
2-LBS fresh sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted

Preparation

In a sterilized 2–3-quart glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, dissolve sugar in brandy; add cherries. Cover jar and allow cherries to macerate in the refrigerator for 6 weeks.

To serve, pour some of the brandy into a small glass and add a few cherries. Cherries will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 year.

Amazon.com

Red Christmas Punch N/A

These red punch recipes contain no alcohol:

• Christmas Cherry Pineapple Punch - N/A
• Christmas Eve Punch - N/A 
• Mulled Cranberry Juice - N/A
• Rudolph Punch & Ice Ring - N/A

Photo: Tim Webb

Christmas Cherry-Pineapple Punch - N/A

Betty Givan
Makes about 1.8-Gallons

Ingredients

2 small pkgs cherry Jell-O

1 pkg cherry Kool-Aid

2 cups sugar

32.00-oz (1-QT) boiling water

48.00-oz (1.5-QTS) cold water

2 large (46-oz) cans unsweetened pineapple juice

For serving:

1 (2-liter) bottle chilled ginger ale (about 8 cups)

Preparation

In a large stockpot, dissolve cherry Jell-O, Kool-Aid and sugar in the boiling water. Add the cold water and pineapple juice; stir well and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 4 hours to overnight. 

Pour Jell-O mixture into punch bowl; gently stir in the ginger ale. Serve over ice in punch cups.

Source

Christmas Eve Punch - N/A

Southern Living - 1986 
Makes 4.5-QTS

Ingredients
1 (32-oz) bottle cranberry juice

1 (46-oz) can unsweetened pineapple juice

16.00-oz (2 cups) orange juice

5.33-oz (2/3 cup) lemon juice concentrate

1/2 cup sugar

0.33-oz (2 tsp) almond extract

1 (33.8-oz) bottle Ginger Ale, chilled

Preparation

In a large container, combine fruit juices, sugar, and almond extract. Stir until sugar dissolves. Chill well (at least 2 hours).

Just before serving, pour mixture into punch bowl, and gently stir in Ginger Ale. Serve cold.

Source: Southern Living 1986 Annual Recipes (Birmingham: Oxmoor House, 1986), 314

Mary Emmerling Pinterest

Mulled Cranberry Juice

Tricia Foley - 1994

Makes 16 (4-oz) servings

Rudolph Punch - N/A 

& Ice Ring

JL Monroe - 1989
Makes 7.5-QTS

Ingredients
For punch:
1 (12-oz) can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 (12-oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate
32.00-oz (1-QT) cold water
1 (46-oz) can pineapple juice, chilled
1 (46-oz) can Hawaiian Punch, chilled
1 (64-oz) bottle cranberry juice, chilled
1 (1-liter) bottle ginger ale, chilled

For ice ring:

1 (16-oz) jar maraschino cherries, drained
1 (8-oz) bottle lemon juice
Water

Preparation

Make Ice Ring: In a 6 to 6.5-cup ring mold, arrange cherries in an attractive design. Pour water into mold to partially cover fruit. Freeze.

When frozen, add lemon juice & water to fill mold 3/4 full. Freeze.

Make punch: Put orange juice and lemonade in punch bowl and mix with cold water. Stir in pineapple juice, Hawaiian Punch, cranberry juice and ginger ale.

At serving time, unmold and float ice ring, fruit side up, in punch bowl.

Source: The Junior League of Monroe, Inc., Celebrations on the Bayou: Invitations to Dine in Cotton Country Style (Wimmer Brothers, 1989), 84.

Last Updated November 30, 2014