Cherry spirits can be categorized into four distinct styles based on how they are made, their sweetness levels, and their flavor profiles.

For cooking and baking, we default to Kirsch, because it was the first cherry spirit we purchased decades ago when we began to make cheese fondue.

You can use any of the following in your recipes, but if you want to serve a glass of liqueur along with dessert, go for a sweet cherry liqueur like Cherry Heering (named for Peter Heering, who created the original recipe in Copenhagen in 1818).

The other categories are less quaffable drunk straight; they tend to be dry and often have a high level of alcoholic heat.

1. True Cherry Brandies (Eau-de-Vie)

These are bone-dry, clear, unsweetened spirits made by fermenting whole cherries (often including the pits) and distilling the juice. They are incredibly aromatic, smelling strongly of ripe fruit, but they taste fiery and dry if you drink them straight.

Kirsch/Kirschwasser is the most famous version, traditional to Germany, Switzerland, and France’s Alsace region. It’s clear with a subtle, woody, almond bitterness derived from the cherry pits. If you want to go for the best, look for Schwarzwälder Kirschwasse, a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) that’s distilled specifically in Germany’s Black Forest, i.e., the Schwarzwälder.

See the ‡footnote for the difference between cherry brandy/eau-de-vie and grape brandy.

2. Maraschino Liqueurs

While clear like Kirsch, Maraschino is a liqueur made from sour Marasca cherries, meaning it’s sweetened with sugar syrup after distillation. It has a completely different flavor profile than dark red cherry liqueurs. The fruit and crushed pits are distilled to create a spirit that is herbaceous, complex, and distinctively forward with notes of marzipan, almond, and a touch of funk. It’s relatively dry on the palate despite the sugar content.

Luxardo (photo #6) is easiest brand to find in our area, but ask at your liquor store.

3. Sweet Cherry Liqueurs (The “Cherry Brandies”)

These deep red liqueurs are what most people think of as “cherry brandy.” In most cases, they are made by macerating sweet or sour cherries in a neutral spirit like vodka, or a low-grade brandy, adding sugar, and sometimes infusing warm baking spices like cinnamon or clove.

Noteworthy brands are Cherry Heering from Denmark, made from Danish Stevens cherries that are macerated with spices and cask-aged for several years; and Guignolet from France. There are simpler, mass-market brands like Bols, DeKuyper, and Hiram Walker.

4. Regional Infusions & Fortified Styles

Other parts of Europe make cherry-infused spirits that balance somewhere between a fortified wine, an amaro, and a liqueur. Examples include Ginjinha (or Ginja) from Portugal, made by infusing sour ginja cherries in aguardente (a strong alcohol); Ratafià di Ciliegie from Italy, where fresh cherry juice is mixed directly with alcohol, sugar, and spices like nutmeg or cinnamon; and Vișinată from Romania, made by layering sour cherries and sugar to ferment slightly, before topping it off with vodka or neutral alcohol.
 

[8] Sour (tart) cherries and sweet cherries. The former are used in cooking and baking; the latter are “table fruit.” Washington is the top producer of cherries in the U.S., accounting for the vast majority of sweet cherries (like Bing and Rainier). However, Michigan is famously known as the “Cherry Capital of the World, producing roughly 74% of the nation’s tart (sour) cherries.
 
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*If you don’t have cherry liqueur, add some vodka or brandy to cherry juice.

†Uses for Kirsch: As a dry eau de vie rather than a sweet liqueur, Kirsch provides a bright, clear cherry essence and a subtle almond-like nuttiness (from the cherry pits used during distillation) to foods and beverages. Some examples:

> Desserts: cherry clafoutis, cherries jubilee, chocolate mousse, macédoine de fruits, Swiss Kirschtorte, cherry tiramisu.

> Savory Dishes: cheese fondue, certain soups, and in the brine or curing process or specific types of German or Swiss hams and sausages.

> Cocktails: Kirsch adds cherry potency to “short” sipping cocktails. If you’re interested, look up the recipes for Black Forest Gateau Cocktail (a dessert drink that mimics the flavors of Black Forest Cake),Kirsch Royale (a variation of Kir Royale), The Rose: (a famous vintage cocktail from Harry’s Bar in Paris), and the Swiss Watch.

‡What is brandy? This gets complex very quickly, but for the purposes of this article: Brandy is essentially any spirit distilled from a fruit juice or fermented fruit mash. Unlike liqueur, it does not have added sugar. Clear eau-de-vie is distilled from various fruits except grapes; people often refer to cherry eau-de-vie as cherry brandy. However, if the brandy is distilled from grapes—grape brandy—most people say “brandy” for short. Grape brandy is aged in oak, which provides its amber color—i.e., it is not clear like eau-de-vie.
 

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