Bill Donovan's Maraschino Cherries
It’s cocktail season here at the Richard Ranch, and so I want to share with you how to make amazing cocktail cherries.
This is a recipe my mentor got from Wild Bill Donovan. Well, really, he got it from Bill’s butler after a bit of fun. My mentor? Oh, he’s a guy you’ve never heard of. One of those who gets things done, rather than talking about it. Built secure computing systems for the Department of Defense for 40 years. Built systems so secure that they’d make the OpenBSD team cry, if those guys had tear ducts.
Anyway, they were having a bit of fun with the butler, who, as you can imagine, was pretty good at keeping secrets. Suffice it to say that that was a different times, the statue of limitations has expired, and everyone involved is now gone to a better place.
You can use any sort of cherries to different effect. The Trader Joe’s dark sweet ones work well.
So here’s an updated version of the recipe.
Put water and sugar in a pan. Boil until you get a clear syrup. Add everything else. Return to a boil for a minute or so. While that’s happening, place a quick call to a journalist and smear someone. When questioned, claim you have things boiling on the stove and hang up.
Pour ingredients into a very clean jar. (A splash of brandy or congac works as a fine antiseptic. You can leave it in the jar.) Put jar in ice water to cool rapidly. Optionally add more brandy or congac, or if you’re a traditionalist, some maraschino liquor.)
Oh, and if you’re lazy and French, but I repeat myself, you can throw all of that into a sous vide bag, seal it and cook it. If you don’t have a chamber sealer, you can freeze the bag before sealing so that the water stays inside. You should cook it at 150F for two hours. Actually, cook it hotter or longer than that, and the cherries should plump up. Bill’s butler didn’t cook in no stinking water bath, so we’re still experimenting.
Use in cocktails, on ice cream, or by themselves when looking for a snack that’s healthier than the CIA lifestyle.
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