They say that if you want to maximize your workouts, it’s best to focus on what you’re doing, to feel every step you run, to be present in your reps, to engage the burn. The more you involve your mind in your exercise, the fitter you’ll be.
Which means the cards are stacked against me. Because I’m the kind of guy who, in order to merely survive 30 minutes on that elliptical machine, has to send my mind elsewhere. I have to daydream, because the reality of the situation (only 140 calories burned, 16 minutes left to go, and a big soggy bead of sweat just landed on me from the wheezy guy on the next machine over) is just too much to bear.
Generally, when I’m at the gym, I daydream about two things: Food and cocktails.
Surprised?
So, the other day, huffing and puffing away, I was daydreaming about food. Cherries, in particular, which are really looking good right now.
Naturally, thinking of cherries turned me to thinking of a manhattan, my favorite cherry-garnished drink. I realized that I’m almost always disappointed by the jarred maraschino cherry at the bottom. It’s always so cloyingly syrupy-sweet, so decidedly uncherrylike, such a sad endnote to such a lovely drink. There must, I daydreamed, be a better way.
I finished out my sentence on the treadmill, tossed in a few situps, and hit the books, where I found this recipe from Raising the Bar by Nick Mautone for maraschino cherries. It was a breeze to make, and for the first time in all my (many) drinking days, I had a maraschino cherry that actually tasted like a cherry.
And how better to reward yourself for an elliptical session well done, than a refreshing beverage such as a manhattan, exquisitely garnished?
Tip: Invest in a cherry pitter — about 10 bucks and it works for olives, too.
Maraschino Cherries
From “Raising the Bar” by Nick Mautone. Makes 2 to 3 dozen cherries. These are non-alcoholic, which makes them equally great in a Shirley Temple or just spooned over ice cream.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup red grape juice (100% juice)
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 ounces fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
Pinch salt
1 whole piece star anise
1 pound sweet cherries, pitted
1 teaspoon almond extract
Directions
In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the water, grape juice, sugar, lemon juice, salt and star anise. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the cherries and almond extract. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes or until the cherries have exuded some of their juice and the syrup has taken on a distinctly cherry flavor. Be careful not to overcook. The point is not to actually cook the cherries, but to heat them in the syrup just long enough to bring out their essence.
Remove the pan from the heat, transfer the cherries and the syrup to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid, cover and refrigerate. The longer the cherries steep, the more flavorful they will become.
