Filthy Black Cherry

Filthy Black Cherry is listed under Snacks and sold under the Esplanda name. The name points to a black cherry preserved for cocktails and sweets, the kind often dropped into a drink or served over dessert. The listing gives no ingredients, syrup style, size or flavor notes, so what follows describes how cherries of this type usually behave. It is not a measured profile of this jar. Expect a dark, glossy cherry in a sweet syrup, with a firm, slightly chewy bite and a deep fruit flavor leaning toward cooked cherry and dark berry. Preserved black cherries usually taste sweeter and rounder than the bright red maraschino style. Serve them at fridge temperature for the best texture, and spoon a little syrup into the glass if you want extra sweetness and color. The classic job for a cherry like this is as a garnish. It suits an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan, where its sweetness sits well against whiskey and bitters, and it also works in a Negroni, a Tom Collins or a Whiskey Sour. For these, use a short rocks glass for stirred drinks and a chilled coupe or cocktail glass for shaken ones, with the cherry resting at the bottom or on a pick. Away from the bar, cherries like these are commonly paired with vanilla ice cream, cheesecake, dark chocolate desserts or a cheese board. They also work as a topping for yogurt or pancakes.