Maraschino Cherries are disgusting.

With that out of the way, here's what I've tried as an alternative:

Rehydrated Dried Cherries

The quickest solution is to soak dried cherries in equal parts brandy and Maraschino Liqueur. About a month later, you will have a slightly shriveled, but very delicious garnish. Unsweetened cherries work best, but if all you can find are sweetened cherries, I have two observations for you. First, they actually fill out better when they rehydrate, and second, they will take at least an extra month to taste right.

Credit for this technique goes to one of the few (only?) readers of this blog.

Pickled Fresh Sour Cherries

These are the cherries that I am currently using. This method was adapted from somewhere on the internet. I don't remember exactly where it came from, but if you search hard enough you can probably find it.

• Soak fresh, pitted, sour cherries overnight in apple cider vinegar.
• Drain, and replace liquid with brandy and Maraschino.
• Let sit for a few weeks.

After the first week, I tasted the cherries, and they had way too much residual vinegar. I drained them again and added fresh brandy and Maraschino. The results are very distinctive. Plenty of sour cherry sourness, with a nice shot of vinegar when you bite in. Unfortunately, I've come to the conclusion that pitting all of those cherries just isn't worth it. As my supply is starting to run low, it is time to move on to...

Improved Jarred Cherries

This recipe comes from Jeffrey Morgenthaler's The Bar Book and involves simply replacing the liquid in a jar of preserved sour cherries. Morgenthaler recommends Trader Joe's Dark Morello Cherries in Light Syrup, and that is what I just bought yesterday. I drained the jar, and replaced the liquid with 5 parts brandy, 2 parts Maraschino, and 2 parts Luxardo Amaretto. In about a month, I will report on the results.