Cherry Sour – regular

Lakrids Cherry Sour regular. The 270-gram tin of the cherry flavor for the whole winter.

Lakrids Cherry Sour regular is the medium-sized tin of the cherry flavor from Lakrids by Bülow: 270 grams of strong licorice in white chocolate with cherry juice granules. No cherry pralines, no mild children's licorice, no variety with salmiak or salt.

Lakrids Cherry Sour regular is a chocolate-coated licorice from Lakrids by Bülow that combines the tartness of dark cherries with white chocolate and a strong licorice center. Anyone who opens the tin for the first time expects a sweet variety after seeing the color. Cream-white balls, red sprinkles, a golden band with two cherries. Then comes the bite, and expectations are overturned: First there is tartness, dry and bright, only after that comes the melt. At the very end, licorice remains, dark and long-lasting. Cherry Sour looks like a dessert and tastes like an invitation to taste more closely.

Tartness is not an ingredient here, but the structure

Cherry Sour builds on the contrast between tart cherry granules and sweet white chocolate, which a strong licorice center rounds off. The granules consist of dried cherry juice, four percent of the recipe, and crackle like fine sugar on the first bite. Acidity lifts the fruit and gives it the edge that is in the name. Without this tartness, the ball would be a cherry praline; with it, it becomes a variety that keeps the palate awake.

The white chocolate tastes milky and slightly of vanilla, with a cocoa content of at least 26 percent. It melts slowly and gives the tartness time. The center underneath is strong licorice: two percent licorice extract, bound with molasses, soft and slightly chewy. Compared to the light fruit varieties, it is significantly more present and echoes after the last piece with a dry, slightly woody tone.

For people who generally avoid licorice, Cherry Sour is not suitable despite the fruit; the center cannot be masked. Anyone looking for a salt licorice in the Danish style is better off with CLASSIC Caramel with sea salt flakes. Cherry Sour is fruity and tart, not savory.

On the table for weeks, with coffee, red wine, and cheese

The 270-gram tin is intended for the table where someone regularly stops by. When stored cool, it lasts through the entire Advent season. About 60 balls are inside. For filter coffee in the afternoon, three pieces per person are enough, because the tartness keeps the appetite for more in check. With a glass of Pinot Noir or Zweigelt, place a few balls next to the glass: The cherry notes of the wine and the granules interlock, the licorice center gives the wine a dark spice.

On the cheese platter, Cherry Sour belongs with a young, creamy goat cheese or a mild Brie. With aged mountain cheese or blue cheese, the tartness is too dominant. As a dessert component, the variety works chopped over baked apple with cinnamon, over rice pudding, or over a bowl of Greek yogurt with honey, where the shards provide the bite.

For guests trying chocolate-coated licorice for the first time, it is best to place two varieties next to each other: Cherry Sour and Crispy Raspberry with raspberry. Both are fruity, but the raspberry is sweeter and brighter. In comparison, everyone immediately understands what makes the cherry different.

An idea for a winter evening: Heat 150 milliliters of milk, dissolve two pieces of dark chocolate in it, and add three chopped Cherry Sour balls. After stirring for two minutes, you get a hot chocolate with cherry and a hint of licorice, which will be too bitter for children but just right for adults. A spoonful of whipped cream on top rounds it off.

Good to know: Served cool, Cherry Sour tastes clearer. At room temperature above 22 degrees, the white chocolate becomes soft and the tartness blurs. The variety is not intended for baking into dough, because the coating and granules melt in the heat. On the other hand, it is a good choice as a topping on finished cakes, just before cutting.

Why cherry was missing in Denmark for so long

With Cherry Sour, Lakrids by Bülow has included a cherry in the program for the first time, and the deciding factor was the vote of the regular customers. Strawberry and raspberry had been in the house for years, not the dark stone fruit. The reason lies in the processing: Fresh cherry juice is too watery to stick to a chocolate coating, and cherry flavor alone tastes flat. Only the drying of the juice into granules solved the problem. The shards retain color and tartness and do not melt into the chocolate.

Johan Bülow started in 2007 in Svaneke on Bornholm, with a copper kettle and recipes he developed himself. Today, it is cooked in Copenhagen. The panel of Lakrids Lovers evaluates every new recipe before it is released; For Cherry Sour, the panel awarded 4.6 out of 5 possible points, a value that immediately secured the variety a place in both winter gift boxes.

During coating, the cooked center rotates in a drum, while white chocolate is applied in thin layers. Finally, the cherry granules are sprinkled on the still moist chocolate and sealed with gum arabic and shellac, so that they do not fall off during transport. The center is cooked with rice flour and is gluten-free; gelatin is not used. A portion of cocoa butter keeps the coating brittle enough so that it shatters on the bite and does not stick to the teeth. The white chocolate comes from the EU, the licorice extract from roots harvested outside Europe, mainly in the Mediterranean region and Central Asia. The ratio of center to coating in this variety is deliberately shifted in favor of the chocolate: 54 percent of the ball is coating.

The tin for Advent, not for the tasting bite

The regular tin is worth it for everyone who already knows Cherry Sour or is supplying a table where snacking goes on for weeks. For a first impression, the small tin with 115 grams is the better choice. With 270 grams, this tin lasts for a family over the holidays or for an office where the tin stands next to the coffee machine.

As a gift, it needs no paper: The golden band with the two cherries and the red bow is already the packaging. The winter collection is reassembled every year, which is why Cherry Sour is only available in the cold months. Store the tin cool and dark, then the coating will remain shiny until the new year.

For Advent tables where cookies and chocolate are already present, this tin is the third way.