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    Home » Recipes » Vodka

    How to Make Homemade Cherry Infused Vodka

    Published: Apr 18, 2023 · Updated: Aug 7, 2023 by Katy McAvoy

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    Making your own cherry infused vodka is easy and a great way to ensure that you get the most pure, fresh fruit taste possible in your liquor. No artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, or artificial colors. Just tangy notes of cherry - full of natural flavor.

    A jar of cherry infused vodka.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make Cherry Infused Vodka
    • Try One of These Homemade Liquor Infusions 
    • What to Drink with Cherry Infused Vodka
    • Recipe Tips
    • Try These Cherry Recipes
    • FAQs and Substitutions
    • More Delicious Recipes You’ll Love 
    • Print the Recipe Card
    • Easy Homemade Cherry Vodka

    This vodka recipe contains no sugar. I don't like how much sugar is in the store-bought flavored vodkas and prefer to add sugar to my cocktails when I'm making them.

    Using simple syrups to sweeten your drinks - instead of the liquor itself - is also a great way to add more flavor to the drink. (Try mixing homemade cherry vodka with honey simple syrup and a squeeze of lime! So good!)

    Cherries are a summer fruit with a short season here in Michigan, so this recipe can also be easily made with frozen cherries from the grocery store.

    That also means you can make homemade cherry-flavored vodka as a Christmas gift without having to worry about cherry season being long over.

    Ingredients

    Ingredients for homemade cherry vodka.
    • Sweet Cherries (fresh or frozen) - Fresh cherries will need to be pitted and stems removed. Don't want to do that work? Choose frozen cherries.
    • Plain Vodka - Choose something you'd enjoy drinking plain, but it doesn't need to be the most expensive brand on the market.

    How to Make Cherry Infused Vodka

    Place cherries in a pint mason jar. 

    Cherries being dropped into a mason jar.

    Add enough vodka to fill the jar - about 12 ounces. 

    Vodka being poured into a mason jar.

    Place a lid tightly on the jar and gently tip it back and forth to mix the cherries and vodka together. 

    A hand placing a lid on a mason jar filled with cherries and vodka.

    Set the jar in a cool, dark place for 3 days. 

    Cherry vodka at the start of infusion time.

    Remove the lid and strain out the cherries. 

    A hand pouring cherry infused vodka through a strainer and into a mason jar.

    Store your cherry vodka in a glass container at room temperature for up to 6 weeks or in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. 

    A jar of cherry infused vodka.

    Enjoy! 

    Try One of These Homemade Liquor Infusions 

    Homemade liquor infusions are fun and easy to do! Two of my favorite are blueberry vodka in the summer and apple cinnamon gin in the fall. Looking for more options? Head over to my Liquor Infusions page for lots of other ideas!

    A bottle of blueberry vodka being poured into a small glass.
    Homemade Blueberry Infused Vodka
    Apple slices being dropped in a mason jar.
    Apple Cinnamon Infused Gin

    What to Drink with Cherry Infused Vodka

    • Make my 3 ingredient Cherry Vodka Sour cocktail!
    • Add 1 or 2 oz cherry infused vodka to your favorite lemonade. 
    • Add 2 oz cherry vodka into a chocolate milkshake for a boozy treat! 
    • Mix with Coca-Cola for a spiked Cherry Coke.
    • Make a boozy cherry limeade with 2 oz cherry infused vodka, 1 oz fresh lime juice, 2 oz simple syrup, and 2 oz club soda. (Pictured below.)
    A hand squeezing a piece of lime over a cocktail.

    Recipe Tips

    • If you use fresh cherries, be sure to grab a cherry pitter and pit the cherries - and remove the stems - before placing them in your jar with the vodka. Do not infuse cherries that have pits in them. 
    • For frozen cherries, check the label to make sure they don’t have any added sugar in them. 
    • Infuse and store your finished cherry vodka in a pint mason jar or glass bottle to prevent any flavors getting imparted into the vodka from a plastic container. 
    • Don’t want to spend money on glass bottles? Save your old liquor bottles when they’re empty and reuse them for infusions. Paper labels will soak off easily in a bath of hot water and dish soap. 

    Try These Cherry Recipes

    Need something to do with those extra cherries? Make my sweet cherry simple syrup, then stir up some cherry lime mocktails. Both are delicious way to enjoy cherry season!

    Cherry Lime Mocktails
    Cherry Lime Mocktails
    Sweet Cherry Simple Syrup
    Sweet Cherry Simple Syrup

    FAQs and Substitutions

    Do I need to let frozen cherries thaw before I use them? 

    No. I tested this recipe with both frozen cherries straight from the freezer and frozen cherries that had been thawed. After 3 days there was no difference in taste or color. 

    Do I need to refrigerate my vodka while it’s infusing? 

    Nope! The vodka acts as a natural preservative, so you can leave your vodka sitting in a cupboard to infuse. 

    Can I keep and eat the cherries after I take them out of the vodka?

    Absolutely! However, they won’t be sweet. To make sweet boozy cherries, make a small amount of simple syrup (½ cup sugar dissolved into ½ cup hot water), then add your vodka-soaked cherries to that mixture once you strain them from the vodka. Store the boozy cherries/simple syrup mixture in the refrigerator and use over vanilla ice cream or to garnish cocktails. Cherries being poured from a strainer into a small mason jar.

    Can I use cheap vodka for this recipe? 

    You can, though my recommendation is to use whatever brand you would normally drink. I used Tito's Vodka in all of my testing and the final version of this recipe because that’s what I usually keep on hand for plain vodka drinks. 

    What kind of cherries should I use? 

    I like sweet, dark cherries or bing cherries for this infusion. They impart great cherry flavor and a natural sweetness. If you prefer tart drinks, tart cherries are an option as well. 

    Can I use dried cherries? 

    While you can use dried cherries in this recipe, they take longer and impart less flavor than fresh cherries or frozen cherries. 

    Do I have to strain out the cherries from the vodka? 

    No, but leaving them in will reduce the vodka’s shelf life. If you decide to leave the cherries in the vodka, I recommend storing your cherry vodka in the refrigerator at all times. 

    A mason jar of homemade cherry infused vodka.

    More Delicious Recipes You’ll Love 

    • Blueberry Vodka Lemonade Cocktail is Summer in a Glass
    • Homemade Raspberry Simple Syrup for Cocktails and Mocktails
    • Peach Raspberry Vodka Martini is Full of Summer Flavor
    • How to Make Homemade Pear Simple Syrup
    • Classic Old Fashioned Bourbon Cocktail

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    Easy Homemade Cherry Vodka

    A mason jar of homemade cherry vodka.
    Print Recipe
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    Infusing liquor with fruit is an easy way to make your own flavored alcohols, with no sugar or artificial colors. Made with fresh or frozen cherries, this homemade cherry vodka is full of flavor and ideal for summer cocktails.

    • Author: Katy McAvoy
    • Prep Time: 5 min
    • Infusion Time: 36 hours
    • Cook Time: 0 min
    • Total Time: 36 hours, 5 mins
    • Yield: 12 oz 1x
    • Category: Cocktails
    • Method: Infusion
    • Cuisine: American

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 12-15 sweet cherries (fresh or frozen)
    • 12 oz plain vodka

    Instructions

    Place the cherries in a pint mason jar.

    Add enough vodka to fill the jar - about 12 ounces.

    Place a lid tightly on the jar and gently tip it back and forth to mix the cherries and vodka together.

    Set the jar in a cool, dry place for 3 days.

    Remove the lid and strain out the cherries.

    Store your cherry vodka in a glass container at room temperature for up to 6 weeks or in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

    Enjoy!

    Equipment

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    Glass Bottles

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    Pint Mason Jar

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    Fine Mesh Sieve

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    Notes

    Be sure to remove the stems and pits if you're using fresh cherries!

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 oz
    • Calories: 69
    • Sugar: 0.7 g
    • Sodium: 0.3 mg
    • Fat: 0 g
    • Carbohydrates: 0.9 g
    • Fiber: 0.1 g
    • Protein: 0.1 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

    Keywords: cherry vodka, homemade cherry flavored vodka, no sugar flavored vodka, cherry infused liquor, liquor infusions

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag me @katymcavoy on Instagram! I can’t wait to see what you made!

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    About Katy McAvoy

    Katy is the author, photographer, home cook, mixologist, and Michigander behind MittenGirl.com. Since 2017, she's been crafting easy-to-make cocktails and delicious meals, along with sharing her love of all things Michigan (a.k.a. The Mitten)!

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    Katy McAvoy

    Hi! I’m Katy (she/her). I’m an author, photographer, home cook, mixologist, Michigander, and lover of all things food and drink. I never turn down a good happy hour and believe that a couple hours of meal prep pays off for days. Follow me on Instagram to check out what I’m working on next!

    More about me →

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