Cornelius Cherry Brandy

If you’re after a true cherry-flavoured brandy rather than a sticky, artificially sweetened cordial, Cornelius Cherry is the real thing. Made by Harvest Spirits, a farm distillery in New York’s Hudson Valley, it starts with their own apple brandy aged two years, into which whole sweet Bing cherries are steeped. The infused spirit is then aged a further year in small quarter casks, which is where its lovely depth comes from.

The result is a brandy that tastes of actual fresh cherries — ripe and juicy up front — rounded out by a warm finish of toasted oak and gentle spice. Crucially, there’s no added sugar: the mellow sweetness is entirely the fruit and the barrel, so it stays balanced and grown-up rather than candied. At 70 proof (35% ABV) it’s smooth enough to enjoy slowly.

Serve it neat or over a single large cube to let the cherry open up, or use it to build standout cocktails — it’s superb in a cherry-kissed Manhattan or Old Fashioned. For a simple after-dinner treat, pour a measure alongside a square of dark chocolate. It’s a small-batch bottle that genuinely overdelivers.