This black cherry bourbon soda is one of those drinks that sounds fancy but comes together with about 15 minutes of active time and a week of patient waiting. Fresh black cherries steep in a warm bourbon-brown sugar syrup until the whole jar turns a deep, jewel-toned red that’s almost too pretty to drink. Almost. Once the cherries have done their thing, you’re just pouring over ice and topping with soda water. Summer never tasted so good.
What makes this cocktail worth the wait is the depth of flavor you can’t get from a bottle of premade mixer. The cherries pull all their natural sweetness and a hint of tartness straight into the bourbon, while the brown sugar adds just enough richness to round everything out. If you love bourbon cocktails, you’re going to want to keep a jar of this in your fridge all season long.
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Why This Works
Infusing spirits isn’t complicated chemistry, but it does require a little trust in the process. Warm bourbon dissolves the brown sugar quickly and opens up the cherries so they release their juice and flavor faster than a cold steep would. Using black cherries specifically gives you a bolder, more complex flavor than sweet Bing cherries because they carry a natural tartness that balances beautifully against bourbon’s vanilla and caramel notes.
The brown sugar is doing more than just sweetening here. It creates a light syrup that coats the cherries and helps carry the fruit flavor throughout the liquid. After a week in the fridge, every sip of that bourbon tastes like summer in a glass.
Heather’s Recipe Notes
Drawing from 20 years of recipe development and my time co-founding a spice company, here’s what makes this recipe worth making exactly as written.
- Use a good-but-not-precious bourbon. Eagle Rare and Maker’s Mark are both great choices. You don’t need your most expensive bottle here, but the quality of the bourbon will absolutely come through in the finished drink.
- Pit the cherries but leave the stems on. Whole cherries with stems make for a gorgeous garnish and they hold up beautifully after a week in the fridge. A cherry pitter makes this job fast and painless.
- Give it a full week. I know it’s hard to wait, but the flavor payoff is real. After 24 hours it tastes like sweetened bourbon. After 7 days it tastes like cherry bourbon soda that belongs on a cocktail menu.
- The infused bourbon keeps for up to a month refrigerated. Make a big batch when cherries are at peak season and you’ll have cocktail fixings well into August.
- Measure your pour. One and a half ounces (3 tablespoons) per glass is the sweet spot. The cherry flavor is concentrated and goes a long way.
Ingredients in Cherry Washed Bourbon
- Fresh cherries – use ripe, but not overly ripe, pitted cherries. Any variety will work. You can also use frozen, see FAQ section for tips.
- Bourbon – this is a sipping infused bourbon, so use a good quality that’s not overly expensive. I like Makers Mark for this recipe.
- Brown sugar – adds depth of flavor as well as amping up the sweetness so you don’t need to use simple syrup.
- Soda water – or any sparkling water.
Recipe Variations & Add-Ins
- Swap the black cherries for Bing or Rainier cherries. The flavor will be sweeter and less tart, which some people prefer. Rainier cherries make for a stunning pale gold infusion.
- Use dark rum instead of bourbon. The molasses notes in dark rum play beautifully with cherry. Same method, completely different vibe.
- Try sparkling water with a splash of lemon juice instead of plain soda water if you want a little brightness to cut the sweetness.
- Add a cinnamon stick or a strip of orange peel to the jar before refrigerating for a warmer, more complex flavor profile. It’s especially good in fall when cherry season is winding down.
- Make it a mocktail. Skip the bourbon entirely and steep the cherries in a simple syrup made with equal parts water and brown sugar. Add to soda water over ice for a gorgeous non-alcoholic cherry soda.
How to Store & Make-Ahead Tips
- Store the cherry-infused bourbon in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to one month. The flavor actually continues to develop over the first two weeks.
- Keep the cherries submerged in the liquid. Press them down gently each time you open the jar to make sure they stay covered and don’t dry out at the top.
- The infused cherries are delicious on their own as a garnish for cocktails, spooned over vanilla ice cream, or stirred into a whiskey sour. Don’t throw them away when the bourbon is gone.
- Label your jar with the date you made it. It’s easy to lose track when you have multiple infusions going, and you want to use this within the month for peak flavor.
- Do not store at room temperature. Unlike commercial liqueurs, this homemade infusion has fresh fruit in it and needs to stay cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
At minimum, you need 1 week for the cherries to fully infuse the bourbon with flavor and color. For the best results, let the jar sit in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days before using. The flavor deepens noticeably between day 3 and day 7, so the wait is worth it.
A mid-shelf bourbon with good vanilla and caramel notes works best. Eagle Rare and Maker’s Mark are both excellent choices. Avoid anything too smoky or heavily peated, as those flavors can compete with the cherry rather than complement it.
Yes. Frozen black cherries work well, especially outside of cherry season. Thaw them first and pat them dry before adding to the jar. They may release more liquid than fresh cherries, which can slightly lighten the flavor, but the end result is still delicious.
Each serving uses 1.5 ounces (3 tablespoons) of cherry-infused bourbon, topped with about 4 ounces of soda water over ice. Adjust to taste, but this ratio gives you a well-balanced, not-too-sweet cocktail that lets the cherry flavor shine.
Absolutely. Make a brown sugar simple syrup (equal parts water and brown sugar, warmed until dissolved), steep the pitted black cherries in it for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator, and then use that cherry syrup in soda water. You get all the gorgeous flavor without the alcohol.
The cherries will keep in the refrigerator, submerged in the bourbon, for up to one month. After that point the quality and flavor start to decline. They are wonderful as a cocktail garnish, a topping for ice cream, or stirred into other drinks.
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Black Cherry Bourbon Soda Recipe
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Ingredients
Cherry-Infused Bourbon
- 1 cup bourbon, such as Eagle Rare or Maker’s Mark
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 cups fresh black cherries, stems left on and pitted, or frozen cherries
Cocktail Prep
- 4 oz soda water, or your favorite sparkling water
Instructions
- Add the bourbon and brown sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Pack cherries into a small jar and pour the hot liquid over; press gently on the cherries to make sure they are submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 week or up to 1 month.
- To prepare sodas: Fill a 12-ounce rocks glasses with ice, add 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cherry-infused bourbon to the glass and top with about 4 ounces soda water each. Garnish with bourbon-infused cherries. Serve immediately.
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Notes
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is not guaranteed to be accurate.
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Hi! I’m Heather
I’m Heather, a recipe developer and content creator based in Vancouver, Washington. I started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006 because I believed weeknight dinners shouldn’t be boring and gourmet shouldn’t mean complicated. I’m also the co-founder of Spiceology, so safe to say I think about food for a living. Stick around for recipes that actually make it into your regular rotation.
I really love this recipe and hope you will too!
Those cherries are mouthwatering! I must try this soon.
Love the use of fresh cherries! Never thought to turn it into a soda especially with bourbon! Yum!
Looks great! I recently got a ton of use out of my cherry pitter…useful little tool! It looks so pretty with the stems left on!
I love baking with both bourbon and cherries. Drinking them…even better!
I can just taste it… Must make. Pinning for later. 😀
Gorgeous drink, Heather!
I love bourbon and these photos!!! Oh my goodness. Gorgeousness — I want them framed on my wall. I have no idea how you found the time to do this for me but it means the world to me. I’m so happy to call you all friends. I wish I could sip on some of this and give you all gigantic hugs.
xoxoxo
Heather, these photos are stunning! It’s Friday and I could totally go for a Black Cherry Bourbon Soda! So glad to call Rachel our friend!
Well I propose a Birthday toast with this lovely drink! Cheers!
I LOVE me some bourbon!!! I recently made a cocktail with peach infused rum and I never realized how easy it was to infuse booze until now. I am all for it! Can’t wait to try these!
Happy Birthday to Rachel! I am sure she would love this drink. It is beautiful!