The DIY Home Bar

Make your own falernum, grenadine, and maraschino cherries

By Amy Wisniewski

So you’ve got your backyard chickens clucking, your pancetta curing, your home-brew a-brewin’, and now it’s time to relax with a cocktail. But you can’t go dropping a nasty plastic maraschino cherry into a Manhattan and serving it to your urban-homesteading pals. While we can’t offer any recipes for making your own bourbon, we have put together recipes for some cocktail fixin’s that are surprisingly easy to make at home. Plus some drinks in which to enjoy them.

• 
  Citrusy Brandied Cherries
  Make »
  
  Easy Homemade Grenadine
  Make »
• 
  Exotic Flavors of Falernum
  Make »
  
  Classy Maraschino Cherries
  Make »
• 
  Classic Cocktail Onions
  Make »
  
  Basic Orange Bitters
  Make »
• 
  Cocktail Recipes to Get
  You Started
  Browse
  
  Tools to Help You Mix
  Drinks Like a Pro
  Read »

Amy Wisniewski is associate food editor at CHOW.