Luxardo cherries are a grown-up version of maraschino cherries. These Luxardo cherries are made with cherry liqueur and spices and are perfect for cocktails and as dessert toppers.
In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except the cherries and liqueur and bring to a rolling boil.
When the liquid begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium.
Add the cherries and simmer for 5–7 minutes.
Remove from heat, add the liqueur, and let cool.
Transfer the cherries and liquid into clean jars and refrigerate, uncovered, until cherries are cool to touch.
Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to two weeks.
Notes
If you don't own a cherry pitter, you will definitely want to invest in one.Sour Marasca cherries are the traditional ones used to make maraschino cherries. Since most of us don't have access to them, any cherry will do - the redder the better. I typically use Rainier cherries.I used Luxardo brand cherry liqueur. Serious Eats tried this with a regular brandy and they were not as happy with the results. eGullet has an interesting discussion thread on types of cherry liqueur that is worth a read.I found the recipe for homemade Luxardo cherries on Serious Eats, which was adapted from a recipe found in Imbibe Magazine. This recipe includes my modifications and notes.