ill.literate
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LOL... since we're talking spirits and liqueurs, I figured I'd brag about my cherry "vodka." I put vodka in quotes because it's not really vodka, but infused grain neutral spirits.
A recipe you say? Hmmm.. not as easy as the limoncello recipe, because I was walked through the process by a former neighbor, who brought the recipe with him from Poland.
Either way... start with 4 bottles of grain neutral spirits or rectified spirits, final yield will be double that. I used 750mL bottles. I like the Polish stuff, which can be found at most GOOD liquor stores. And yeah, you read that right below, it starts life at at least 190 proof.
You'll also need four empty bottles, 2-3 gallons of fresh cherries and a big bag of white sugar.
When I made it, we went up to Wisconsin, up near Stevens Point, and picked the cherries off the tree ourselves. I've not made it without fresh cherries, so I'm not sure how frozen would work, and do not use bing cherries. It won't be the same. You want the same kind of cherries you'd put in a fresh cherry pie but for God's sake don't use pie filling
Anyway... take one of the empty bottles and fill it, just about full, with the cherries. Don't worry about the cherry pits, and don't worry about breaking the skin of the cherries... it's a good thing.
Pour the spirits over the cherries, and seal. You should be able to make at least 8 bottles of the infusion of cherries and spirits. Put in a safe place for two weeks.
After two weeks, pour the spirits into a large container that will hold all of the liquid. Set aside.
To the bottles with the cherries in them, add sugar. There is really no set amount ... I filled, shook down, filled, shook down, filled until the sugar had filled the bottle. Cap, and let sit for at least two weeks, ideally between 3 or 4 weeks to let the sugar extract the juice from the cherries. From time to time give the bottles a shake, or a swirl, to make sure the sugar is dissolved and the juice is extracted.
After that time, pour the cherry syrup/juice into a container, remove the cherries from the bottles (save them, they're great to pass around at parties ... drunk cherries!). I then blend equal parts cherry juice/syrup and the cherry infused syrup into bottles. Cap, let sit for two more weeks, serve and enjoy.
I prefer it at room temperature, and we typically do shots of it, though we've mixed it successfully with Coke or 7 Up.
A recipe you say? Hmmm.. not as easy as the limoncello recipe, because I was walked through the process by a former neighbor, who brought the recipe with him from Poland.
Either way... start with 4 bottles of grain neutral spirits or rectified spirits, final yield will be double that. I used 750mL bottles. I like the Polish stuff, which can be found at most GOOD liquor stores. And yeah, you read that right below, it starts life at at least 190 proof.
You'll also need four empty bottles, 2-3 gallons of fresh cherries and a big bag of white sugar.
When I made it, we went up to Wisconsin, up near Stevens Point, and picked the cherries off the tree ourselves. I've not made it without fresh cherries, so I'm not sure how frozen would work, and do not use bing cherries. It won't be the same. You want the same kind of cherries you'd put in a fresh cherry pie but for God's sake don't use pie filling
Anyway... take one of the empty bottles and fill it, just about full, with the cherries. Don't worry about the cherry pits, and don't worry about breaking the skin of the cherries... it's a good thing.
Pour the spirits over the cherries, and seal. You should be able to make at least 8 bottles of the infusion of cherries and spirits. Put in a safe place for two weeks.
After two weeks, pour the spirits into a large container that will hold all of the liquid. Set aside.
To the bottles with the cherries in them, add sugar. There is really no set amount ... I filled, shook down, filled, shook down, filled until the sugar had filled the bottle. Cap, and let sit for at least two weeks, ideally between 3 or 4 weeks to let the sugar extract the juice from the cherries. From time to time give the bottles a shake, or a swirl, to make sure the sugar is dissolved and the juice is extracted.
After that time, pour the cherry syrup/juice into a container, remove the cherries from the bottles (save them, they're great to pass around at parties ... drunk cherries!). I then blend equal parts cherry juice/syrup and the cherry infused syrup into bottles. Cap, let sit for two more weeks, serve and enjoy.
I prefer it at room temperature, and we typically do shots of it, though we've mixed it successfully with Coke or 7 Up.
