Leopold Brothers Tart Cherry Liqueur

I love this liqueur! I recently sampled it at a Spirits tasting held by a local cheese shop and now it’s a sure thing to become a staple in my bar. It’s great on the rocks but my favorite way to serve it is adding it to my ‘house’ sparking wine, Cristalino Brut Cava which I keep on hand by the case for several champagne type cocktails.

The Leopold Brothers are Denver locals by way of Michigan and attended the tasting providing attendees with a history of their company and sharing anecdotes about several of their fabulous liqueurs.

Cherries are generally categorized as either sweet or tart. The former predominates and are what most maraschino cherries are derived from, while the more rare sour varietals are what are mainly used in cooking. For the Leopold Brothers cherry liqueur, they use the very finest Montmorency tart cherries from the Northern reaches of Michigan. These tart cherries are prized the world over, and yet no one else in the world produces a liqueur with these perfect little stone-fruits. They start by destoning the fruit using a special hand held masher, collecting all the rich juices, then adding eaux-de vie and a pinch of turbinado sugar to balance out the tart cherry flavor.

The liqueur is then moved to glass demijohns, where the flavors and spirit slowly blend together. Unlike other cherry liqueur which are often made with artificial flavors that take on the likeness of a maraschino cherry, Leopold Brothers cherry liqueur maintains a balance between slightly tart, and a twinge of sweetness that can only come from real Montmorency cherries. As a result, it is brilliant in many turn of the century cocktails like the Cherry Cricket, is also a welcome addition to a hot stack of pancakes and I personally think it’s perfect poured over some vanilla ice cream! Todd Leopold finds that just ¼ ounce of the Michigan Cherry Liqueur is the perfect replacement of the customary lime in a Gin and Tonic.

Following are some of the brothers favorite recipes:

Michigin and Tonic 1 1/2 oz. Leopold’s Gin 3/4 oz. Michigan Tart Cherry Liqueur First, pour the Michigan Tart Cherry Liqueur into an ice-filled lo-ball glass. Then, add Leopold’s Gin and top with tonic.

The Royal 1 1/4 oz. Leopold’s Small Batch Gin 3/4 oz. Michigan Tart Cherry Liqueur Combine both spirits into a shaker with ice. Gently shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Michigan Cherry Cola 1 1/2 oz. Michigan Tart Cherry Liqueur 4 oz. Cola First, pour Michigan Tart Cherry Liqueur into an ice-filled lo-ball glass. Top with Cola

Chocolate Cherries 3/4 oz. Michigan Tart Cherry Liqueur 3/4 oz. Chocolate Liqueur Combine both into a shaker with ice. Gently shake and strain into a shot glass.

This is definitely a specialty liqueur but I’ve found it at my favorite store, Incredible Wine and Spirits in Greenwood Village.

Tagged as: cherry, leopold brothers, liqueur, liquor, tart