Cherry Sour

Cherry Sour by Lakrids by Bülow with cherry and acidity

Cherry Sour by Lakrids by Bülow consists of a soft liquorice core encased in creamy white chocolate, speckled on the outside with cherry-red shards. It contains four percent cherry juice granules, which give the variety both its name and its color.

Cherry Sour is the newest cherry variety in the winter collection from Denmark's Lakrids by Bülow. The manufacturer classifies it as fruity and sour, and it is precisely in between those two notes that its appeal lies; it earned its place in the product range via the Lakrids Lovers taste panel.

Cherry-red shards on cream-colored liquorice

When you open the jar, you find cream-colored spheres inside, each speckled as if someone had dabbed juice over them.

The first bite goes through these shards, creating a crisp, dry snap. Beneath it lies white chocolate, cool and creamy, taking its time to melt. Finally, the core gives way—soft and dark—and lingers even after the sweetness has long faded.

Cherry juice, dried into granules

The juice is dried into fine granules and applied to the sphere, retaining its vibrant color.

In this form, the aroma is more concentrated than in the fresh fruit, and the shards retain their crunch instead of dissolving into the chocolate. Malic acid then pushes the fruit flavor to the forefront, providing the sour kick promised by the name. Sweetness alone would soon be too much, and acidity alone too harsh, which is why this variety balances both side by side.

From the Lakrids Lovers to the winter jar

New recipes at the company first go through the Lakrids Lovers taste panel before being approved.

Cherry Sour scored 4.6 out of 5 points there, earning its place in both winter boxes. Cherry had previously been missing from this collection: there was strawberry and raspberry, but not the dark fruit of summer. The core is a strong liquorice, giving it a bolder character than the lighter fruit varieties.

The coating of gum arabic and shellac keeps the shards in place, and the cocoa butter in the recipe ensures that the shell snaps rather than smears when bitten. This makes the contrast between the outside and the inside perceptible until the very last piece.

The winter jar with the two cherries on the ribbon

Two cherries tied with a red ribbon sit on the golden band of the jar, sparking curiosity before anyone even turns the lid.

As a small gift, this package needs no explanation, nor does it require wrapping paper. The core is cooked with rice flour and is therefore gluten-free, bound by molasses and invert sugar syrup.

If you are looking for something in the Advent season that takes a different direction than cookies and chocolate, this variety is hard to pass up. It stands in contrast to pastries without competing for the same kind of sweetness.

Cherry Sour is the natural companion to a dark compote, vanilla ice cream, or a cup of black coffee. Try chilling the jar briefly beforehand; this keeps the chocolate firm and makes the shards snap more distinctly.

If you enjoy the red varieties, you will feel right at home here: its closest relative is C – Sour Strawberry, tart like this one, but with strawberry under a green sugar shell. The same winter collection also includes CLASSIC Caramel with blonde Dulce chocolate and Crispy Raspberry with raspberry. The entire Lakrids by Bülow range can be found in the brand overview, where the small jar is labeled "small" with 115 grams, and the medium version "regular" with 270 grams.