June 2020 |

Cherry Simple Syrup | How to Use Cherry Pits to Make a Delicious Syrup

by corrie.pennington / June 29, 2020

This cherry simple syrup is made with cherry pits. It has a delicate, delicious flavor– far from any artificial cherry flavor you might be familiar with. And don’t worry, it’s nontoxic. But more on that later on.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like!

When I bought fresh cherries last week, I was only planning on making brandied cherries. But as I started seeing the cherry pits pile up, I knew I couldn’t let them go to waste. I recalled that a friend of mine told me he used cherry pits in his homemade Luxardo cherry recipe. I considered adding the cherry pits to my brandied cherries and then figured I’d try to make a cherry simple syrup instead.

In the back of my mind, I felt like I remembered something about cherry pits being toxic. If that was true, how was my friend able to use them in his recipe? Hmm… A quick Google search helped me sort that out.

This cherry simple syrup is made with cherry pits. It has a delicate, delicious almond flavor-- far from any artificial cherry flavor you might be familiar with. And don't worry, it's nontoxic.

Cherry pits, like the pits of other stone fruits such as peaches and plums, contain kernels inside called noyaux. The noyaux contain amygdalin, which turns into cyanide when it’s consumed or digested. This sounds a little scary, huh? The good news is that even if you swallow a few cherry pits on accident, you’re in the clear. This is because the amygdalin-ridden noyaux is safely nestled inside the casing of the pit. The outer shell of the pit is meant to withstand stomach acids. This is so that the precious kernel (where the amygdalin is) is protected even if an animal eats the fruit. The only way to expose the kernel is if you crack the pit open.

So, it is totally safe to use whole cherry pits. As long as you don’t crush, crack, or chew on the pits, no harmful toxins will be released. But, if you accidentally add a cracked cherry pit to the saucepan, it’s fiiine because we’re boiling the syrup anyway.

Yes, it is safe to use the kernel itself if you cook it. Noyaux is used commonly in Europe to flavor ice creams and other various sweet treats. If the noyaux is toasted or boiled prior to use, it renders the amygdalin harmless.

Hopefully, you’re feeling confident that this cherry simple syrup made with cherry pits is indeed safe. Like 100% safe. If you want more information, or if you’re wanting to hear this information from a more certified source, check out Poison.org’s article.

Now that I’ve cleared the air about cherry pits being poisonous, we can move on to talking about the cherry simple syrup.

Invest in a cherry pitter to make this cherry simple syrup recipe easier, faster, and cleaner!

Pitting cherries is a pain in the B-U-T-T so to make this chore easier, I invested in a cherry pitter. I loooove this one because it has a built-in splatter shield. It made the process a lot cleaner. If you’re gonna be pitting a whole bag of cherries, be kind to yourself and invest in a cherry pitter.

The great thing about using the cherry pits to flavor the syrup is that they impart a delicate almond flavor. Bits of the fruit flesh will cling to the pit and will flavor the syrup as well.

When I was making the syrup, I noticed that the syrup color was more brown than red so I threw in 3 or 4 cherries. This created the gorgeous maroon color like you see in the photos.

Wondering how you can use this cherry pit simple syrup? You can add some to your iced tea, use it in baking, drizzle it over some pancakes or waffles, make a mocktail with Sprite or sparkling water, or of course, in a cocktail. This would go beautifully in an Old Fashioned. I also think it would make an interesting Cherry Gimlet.

Let me know in a comment below how you plan on using this cherry simple syrup.

If you’re interested in creating other flavored simple syrups, check out these 6 other flavors.

Ingredients to Make Cherry Simple Syrup Made with Cherry Pits

1/2 cup cherry pits (this will come from about 3 cups or 1 pound of fresh cherries)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 cherries (optional)
1/4 oz brandy (optional– to preserve it)

How to Make Cherry Simple Syrup Made with Cherry Pits

Add the cherry pits, sugar, water, and cherries to a small saucepan. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain the contents into a mason jar or other sealable container. Add the splash of brandy and allow the syrup to cool before placing the lid on. Store in the fridge for 1-2 months.

If it begins to look cloudy, toss it. You can also freeze some of the syrup. Just keep in mind it may not freeze all the way due to the high sugar content and the small amount of brandy.

Cherry Simple Syrup – Made with Cherry Pits

5 from 1 vote

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Course Drinks

Equipment

small saucepan
lidded container

Ingredients

½ cup cherry pits (from ~3 cups or 1 lb. fresh cherries)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 fresh cherries (for added color)
¼ oz brandy or vodka – optional (to preserve)

Instructions

Add the cherry pits, sugar, water, and cherries to a small saucepan.
Simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring ocassionally.
Remove from heat and strain the pits and cherries out. Pour into a mason jar or other sealable container.
Add the splash of brandy and allow the syrup to cool before placing the lid on. Store in the fridge for 1-2 months.

Notes

Should last 1-2 months in the fridge. If it begins to look cloudy, toss it.

You can also freeze some of the syrup. Just keep in mind it may not freeze all the way due to the high sugar content and the small amount of brandy.

Keyword cherries, cherry pits, simple syrup, sugar

whiskey

New York Sour | A Cocktail with Wine

by corrie.pennington / June 26, 2020

The New York Sour is a classic cocktail that's been around since the late 1800s. Essentially it's a Whiskey Sour with red wine. While the traditional recipe doesn't call for egg white, this ingredient creates a beautiful foam and a rich texture.

The New York Sour is a classic drink but this was my first time to ever have one, much less make one myself. I love researching the history of classic cocktails and thankfully Spencer over at Whiskey Tango Globetrot did the hard work for me in this post.

Here’s a summary. In the late 1800s, ~someone~ in Chicago made a whiskey sour and added a red wine float. They named this creation a Claret Snap. The Claret Snap was eventually renamed the Continental Sour… and then the Southern Whiskey Sour. When the drink gained popularity in New York, it was renamed the New York Sour.

Reading comprehension check: Is a New York Sour just a Whiskey Sour with an extra addition of red wine? If you answered ‘yes’, you’re right! A cocktail with wine? Mmhm. Someone got the brilliant idea to add wine to this classic American cocktail and we should be forever grateful.

What is a red wine “float”, though? Floating is the bartending technique of carefully layering one liquid ingredient on top of another. Floats only work if the two liquids have different densities. In laymen’s terms, one liquid has to be lighter than the other. The denser liquid has to be poured into the glass first and the lighter liquid needs to be caarreefullly and slowly poured on top. You can watch the little video in my Passionfruit Paloma post and see that I did it the other way around and my beet simple syrup did NOT float.

So. Rule #1: If you want a liquid to float, make sure the denser liquid is the one in the glass and the less-dense liquid is the you’re pouring in. Rule #2: To achieve a good float, pour the less-dense liquid over the back of a bar spoon. This will help distribute it more evenly over the surface of the dense liquid. Rule #3: Make sure your spoon is close to the surface without actually touching it.

If you’re wondering what kind of red wine to use, dry wines are best. Think Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Syrah, Malbec. I used Merlot- a real cheap one- and it was okay. I would definitely go much drier next time. It was a touch too sweet for me.

It’s important for me to note that the traditional New York Sour recipe calls for rye whiskey. If you’ve read my Irish Mule post or my About page, then you’re familiar with the fact that I have Celiac disease. Because of this, I choose to avoid most whiskeys for health reasons.

Many whiskeys are rendered gluten-free after they’re distilled. This would be GREAT expect for the fact that many companies add some of the wash back in after they’re distilled, making the final product NOT gluten-free. If you’re only gluten-sensitive, you probably fine to drink whiskey. However, if you have Celiac, it’s best to avoid a whiskey brand unless you know they don’t add any mash back in after the distillation process.

Since it’s hard to figure that out sometimes, I stick to 100% corn whiskey. It doesn’t have the same taste as rye whiskey but it’s whiskey so I’ll take it. I think this cocktail would taste better with rye, though, so if you can have it, use it.

While we’re on the topic of the traditional New York Sour recipe, let’s talk about the optional egg white. Egg whites were not used in this cocktail back in the day. So if you want to stay true to tradition (and if you’re maybe a little scared of drinking a raw egg white), stick with the first 4 ingredients.

But maybe I can persuade you to use one. As I’ve talked about in my other cocktail recipes (1, 2, & 3) that involve egg whites, an egg white adds amazing texture and body to a drink. It smooths out any harshness in a recipe and lends a silky mouthfeel. Try making a New York Sour with egg white and one without to see which variation you prefer.

To be completely honest, this was not my favorite cocktail. Maybe it’s because I used corn whiskey or maybe it’s because my red wine was too sweet, idk. I’m not sure that I’d make it a second time. Howevverrrr, my husband, who doesn’t ever like my cocktails, actually liked this one and drank the whole thing. 🤷🏻‍♀️ To each their own.

Have you made another cocktail with wine? Let me know in the comments. This is definitely something I want to try my hand at.

As always, let me know if you make one of these by tagging me on Instagram (@girlandtonic_) or by posting a pic on my Facebook page!

Ingredients for a New York Sour with Egg White

2 oz rye whiskey (I used corn whiskey instead for dietary reasons)
1 oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3/4 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz dry red wine to float
1 egg white- optional

How To Make a New York Sour with Egg White

First, we dry shake. Combine the whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup, & egg white into a cocktail shaker without ice (hence the “dry”) and shake for 30 seconds. Next, we wet shake. Carefully add in a handful of ice and shake again for 30+ seconds. Your arm’s gonna be screaming and your hand’s gonna be freezing BUT KEEP GOING. The more vigorously you shake, the better your foam will be.

Strain the shaker into a lowball glass filled with ice. Float the dry wine on top by slowly pouring it over the back of a bar spoon, keeping the spoon close to the surface without touching it. As the drink sits, the foam from the egg white will rise to the top.

If you’re making this without the egg white, skip the dry shake.

New York Sour with Egg White

The New York Sour is a classic cocktail that's been around since the late 1800s. Essentially it's a Whiskey Sour with red wine. While the traditional recipe doesn't call for egg white, this ingredient creates a beautiful foam and a rich texture.

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Prep Time 5 mins

Course Drinks

Servings 1