Naughty Cherries

 "Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker"  -Ogden Nash

Just in time to kick off the holiday season, I came across a recipe for  Bourbon Cherries in the December 2015 issue of O Magazine. I immediately thought of my friend, Molly who enjoys a good bourbon and ginger cocktail preferably garnished with 2-3 maraschino cherries and a splash of the red liquid to "beautify" her drink.  I love the idea of steeping the cherries with ginger and bourbon in a mason jar and knew that this would make a great gift for her and her foodie, DIY food project, obsessed husband. I have hers stashed and ready to be delivered along with some other festive treats to be shared in another post.  However, as much as I like this plan for Molly, I'm not so keen on the heavy taste of bourbon and the fact that it practically gives me a headache before I'm even finished with my drink.  Also, I had another booze fan in mind: my sister. She has recently denounced red wine as it makes her stomach ache and has instead reached for the vodka, in particular, vanilla flavored vodka.  So, along with the batch of "Bourbon Cherries", I quickly whipped up some with vodka instead and for lack of a better name, have dubbed them "Naughty Cherries" because of what happened after I gifted my sister a jar full on Thanksgiving day.
It all began innocently enough.  She created a simple cocktail made with the vanilla vodka and a cherry for garnish.  Then she took the rest of the fancy fruit home and ate a few of the booze steeped cherries for a late night snack.  On Friday, after she plowed through the day wrought with shopping excursions and crowd battling in a few big box stores, I received a text:
"I might have a few cherries for lunch"
Hmmmm.
Still later that same day, closer to 8:00pm:
 "I am having cherries for dessert with my cocktail"
Well at least she is getting her fiber and vitamins along with these liquid based meals. She then proceeded to devour the rest of the  cherries by the end of Saturday.  On Sunday, I got another text update:
 "I just took two big swings (I think she meant swigs) right out of that cherry jar."  Nice.  "I feel like that would be a really great after dinner apertif" 
 "It was AWESOME"

  “I wish I could drink like a lady / I can take one or two at the most / Three and I'm under the table / Four and I'm under the host” -Dorothy Parker

Naughty Cherries

(makes one pint jar)

1 heaping cup of frozen (pitted) cherries  

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 cup vanilla vodka

1 tablespoon sugar

1 (1") knob of ginger, peeled and thickly sliced

Place cherries in a resealable 1-pint jar. Push rosemary alongside cherries in jar.

In a medium sized sauce pan, bring vanilla vodka, sugar and ginger to a simmer over medium- low heat and cook until sugar dissolves, about 3-5 minutes.

Pour mixture into jar of cherries, seal and refrigerate for at least 3 days to steep.  Cherries will keep in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 

 And....just in time to soften the edges on the madness that takes over in December (or anytime of
 year, for that matter):

 

Karyn's Cherry Spice Drop
(makes 2 cocktails)

For the glass rim:
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

For the cocktail:
3oz liquid from Naughty Cherries
1 oz vanilla vodka
(or any combination of the above to make 4 oz.)

For the garnish:
2 Naughty Cherries 
2 pieces candied ginger 
2 small sprigs fresh rosemary

Combine rim spices.  Wet 2 martini glasses and gently press wet edge into spice mixture. Set aside glasses.
In a shaker combine Naughty Cherry liquid and vodka over 1 cup of ice.  Shake vigorously until your fingertips stick to the metal of the shaker.  Pour mixture into rimmed glasses.
Poke one piece of candied ginger onto end of one sprig of rosemary.  Top with one Naughty Cherry.  Repeat for second garnish.  Place a garnish into each drink. Enjoy.