5 to Try: Cocktail Cherries

In the cocktail world, the maraschino cherry is seemingly set up for failure, its candy-red color and cloying sweetness inextricably linked to childhood pursuits. But many of today’s cocktail cherries are a far cry from those nostalgic neon orbs, and they’re specifically formulated to add a finishing touch of flavor and style to the drinks they adorn.

Copper & Kings Old Fashioned Cherries The brandy artisans at Copper & Kings have reimagined classic Bordeaux cherries with American brandy, and their stem-on cherries are deliciously bouncy and boozy. $13.99, drizly.com

Egbert’s Premium Cocktail Cherries Egbert’s cherries are made in small batches with all-natural ingredients, and because they’re flavored with a specially concocted bitters blend from Dashfire Bitters, the fruit is full of warming spices like cloves. $18, bittersandbottles.com

Fabbri Amarena Cherries Made using a century-old family recipe, Fabbri’s cherries are prepared in the style of Italian cocktail cherries. Tart amarena cherries are harvested from the Emilia-Romagna region, then preserved in thick syrup. Plucked from their telltale white-and-blue ceramic jar, these cherries are on the sweeter end of the spectrum, but they remain a classic for good reason. $11.50, ditalia.com

Griottines Morello Cherries Oblacinska morello cherries are grown in the Balkans, then transported to France to undergo a six-month series of macerations. Finished with kirsch, the resulting cherries carry a cacao-like bitterness to balance their sugar. $25, thefrenchfarm.com

Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. Bourbon Cocktail Cherries With a taut cherry skin that pops to reveal a soft interior, Jack Rudy’s cocktail cherries (pictured) harmoniously blend Oregon-grown fruit with Kentucky bourbon. Ideal when married with whiskey-based drinks, these slightly spiced delights carry a boozy boost all their own. $16, jackrudycocktailco.com