At the end of the 19th Century, it became all the rage among bar patrons of finer establishments to request that their cocktails be garnished with expensive preserved cherries. These first “cocktail cherries” were a fancy variety that were candied and preserved in a spiced sugar syrup with the addition of a small amount of cherry distillate (Kirsch) alcohol. Kirsch is a colorless brandy that is made from the double distillation of sour cherries. It is often consumed alone as a digestif, but is particularly valued in baking because of the complex cherry aromas and flavors that can only be derived from the distillation process. The Kirsch distillate in the 19th Century style cherry syrup adds layers of complex cherry flavors and also serves as a preservative for additional flavors from natural herbs and spices, along with cherry juice and pure cane sugar.