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The Fabled Pour

Tart cherry juice

Also called sour cherry juice, Montmorency cherry juice, morello juice

Juice of sour cherries, usually Montmorency, deep red, sharp and barely sweet. It gives a cocktail real cherry fruit and acidity without the candy of maraschino syrup. Buy 100% unsweetened juice; refrigerate once opened. It suits rye, bourbon, cognac and amaro.

  • sour cherry
  • cranberry sharpness
  • almond
  • red fruit skin
  • light tannin
  • earthy sweetness

Origin

The sour cherry, Prunus cerasus, is native to Europe and southwest Asia and was among the first fruit trees people cultivated; Montmorency is the best known cultivar, about 98% of the US tart cherry crop, and Michigan grows about 70% of it. The fruit is used fresh, dried and in pies, and its juice has moved from the health food shelf to the bar as a dry cherry element in stirred drinks and sours.

Production and safety

Refrigerate after opening and use within 7 days; fresh pressed within 2 days. Check labels: some juices are blended with apple or sweetened. Cherry pits contain cyanide compounds, so never crush pits into a house juice; use pitted fruit.

Allergens: None

Common uses

  • a cherry Manhattan or Remember the Maine riff
  • tart cherry Whiskey Sour
  • cherry and cognac Sidecar variation
  • a cherry Spritz with amaro
  • the house concept that calls for it

Sources

  1. Prunus cerasus (NC State Extension Plant Toolbox), NC State Extension · secondary source, retrieved 2026-10-11
  2. US tart cherry industry unveils 'True Tart' label, FreshFruitPortal (trade press) · tertiary source, retrieved 2026-10-11