Homemade Utopias-Infused Buffalo Trace Cocktail Cherries

More Tastings · From the Cellar Kitchen Homemade Utopias-Infused
Buffalo Trace Cocktail Cherries
An empty Utopias bottle is never really empty — there's a last, syrupy ghost of it clinging to the glass, and this is what it becomes.
Ingredients
  • 1 lbFresh sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted
  • ½ cupUtopias-infused Buffalo Trace bourbon (from your bottle rinse)
  • ½ cupWater
  • ¼ cupGranulated sugar
  • 1Cinnamon stick
  • 1Whole star anise pod
  • ½ tspReal vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. The Bottle Rinse Pour ½ cup of Buffalo Trace into your empty Utopias bottle, shake vigorously, and let it sit at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours to dissolve the rich residue before pouring it out.
  2. Simmer the Base In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, cinnamon stick, and star anise. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
  3. Add Cherries Turn the heat down to low. Add the cherries and simmer gently for 5 minutes to soften them slightly. Do not overcook.
  4. Spike It Remove the pan completely from the heat. Stir in your Utopias-infused Buffalo Trace and the vanilla extract.
  5. Jar and Age Pour the cherries and all of the liquid into a clean glass jar, ensuring the cherries are fully submerged. Let cool to room temperature, seal tightly, and store in the refrigerator.
Give them three or four days in the fridge before they meet a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned.
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