Maraschino cherries colored with radish anthocyanin extract had an attractive red hue extremely close to those colored with FD&C Red No. 40. The major anthocyanins of radishes are pelargonidin-3-sophoroside-5-glucoside acylated with malonic acid and either ferulic or p-coumaric acid, while red-fleshed potatoes contain pelargonidin-3-rutinoside-5-glucoside acylated with p-coumaric acid as their major anthocyanin. These identities were confirmed by electrospray mass spectroscopy (ESMS). The site of cinnamic acid acylation for radish anthocyanins was determined to be at position 6 of glucose-1 of the sophorose substituent by 1- and 2-dimensional 1H- and 13C-NMR. Aqueous extracts were prepared from these materials without using organic solvents. The color characteristics of the two materials were similar, radish anthocyanin extract having a hue angle of 37° and potato extract 30° at pH 3.5. FD&C Red No. 40 had a hue angle of 38°. Model beverage solutions colored with radish anthocyanin and potato anthocyanin extracts had half-lives at 25°C of 24 and 11 weeks, respectively.