How to Make Cherry Simple Syrup

While you can find fresh cherries with the pits removed, whole cherries will probably be much easier to find at your local grocery store.

How to pit your cherries

Raw cherries come with their pits inside, but removing them is easy!

• Using your chef's knife, slice your cherry down the middle until the pit is exposed (your knife won't penetrate the pit).
• Using your finger, you can remove the pit using a scraping motion.
• Once the pit is gone, slice your cherry in half.
• Repeat this process until you have 1 cup of cherries.

Alternatively, if you find cherries with the pits already removed, you can just toss them directly into your pot.

Now that your cherries are ready place them in your sauce pot.

Measure out 3/4 cup of sugar and add it to your pot on top of your cherries.

Next, measure out one cup of water and add it to your pot.

Heat your ingredients over medium-high heat until the water begins to boil. Then, reduce the heat to simmer (around low-medium heat).

Stir your simple syrup occasionally and continue heating until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar dissolves, turn off your stove and remove the pot from heat.

At this point, your syrup should have a thick consistency, and the color of your cherries will have transferred, making the syrup red.

To cool your freshly made cherry simple syrup, let your pot sit for 10 minutes. Then, strain your syrup into a mason jar or any airtight container. If you're feeling jazzy, toss a few fresh cherries into your syrup for a sweet garnish when you're ready to enjoy a cocktail.

Once you've stored your simple syrup, it'll keep in the fridge for at to 4 weeks at least.

Pro tip: Once you've transferred your simple syrup to your mason jar, clean your sauce pot. Once most of the water has evaporated from the excess sugar in your pot, it will become crystalized sugar which is super annoying to remove.

Cleaning immediately after you pour your cooled simple syrup makes the process a lot easier.