Cherry Cola

In a sauce pot over medium heat, add the sugar, water and sweet cherries. Pull off the stems but don’t worry about the pits, we will strain them out later. Bring to a boil (approximately 3-5 minutes) then using a potato masher, mash up the cherries as best you can to release their colour and flavour.
Turn the syrup down to simmer over low heat, add the lemon juice and simmer for 30 minutes.

Once the 30 minutes has elapsed you will want to taste it to see if you’d like more acidity from the lemon but please do not burn yourself! The syrup is extremely hot so use a spoon and blow on the syrup several times. Don’t ever dip your finger directly into hot syrup! I know you are probably thinking, “calm down, I’m not an idiot,” but a Chef I worked with once stuck his finger in caramel without thinking to taste it and burnt himself badly. Add more lemon juice if necessary.

Once the taste is to your liking, set a strainer over a bowl and strain out the pits and remaining pieces of cherry. Make sure to press the cherries with a spoon to extract all the remaining juice. Transfer to a sterilized jar and refrigerate for up to one week.

Add one or two tablespoons to a 12 ounce can of standard cola for a lovely cherry punch or add it to sparkling water for a half sweet, all cherry soda.