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Do not freeze cherries for the winter? But in vain. I never did that either until I learned how to make bomb cherry liqueur. The recipe is very simple, but I was driven by real excitement. I really wanted to show my wife that I can make a liqueur no worse than her father.
I don’t know if this family “competition” was appropriate, but the result was very worthy.
The recipe was sent to us by a subscriber Benjamin.
Why I decided to make alcohol myself
One day, my wife and I were visiting her relatives, and when we sat down at the table, my father-in-law offered to try home-made cherry liqueur. Say, it’s a sin to refuse such deliciousness. I was skeptical about the offer, as I do not like strong drinks, but out of politeness, I agreed to drink a glass.
To my great surprise, the liqueur captivated me. She had a very rich color – dark red, and no less rich taste. And most importantly – there was no characteristic smell of fusel oils and alcohol – only a slight sweetness and a unique cherry aroma.
The next morning I decided to make such a liqueur myself, but I preferred not to tell anyone, but to make a surprise for the holiday. I thought that since my father-in-law did it, then I can do it all the more, why am I worse?
The only thing left was to find a suitable recipe, check the availability of ingredients and go ahead – create a masterpiece. In search of a cherry recipe, I went to the Internet, spending about 10 minutes on it. I took the easiest way and mentally crossed my fingers.
What ingredients are required
The liqueur recipe called for frozen cherries. They were not in the refrigerator, so I quickly ran to the nearest market and bought 2 packages (67 rubles for a 400-gram package).
I also needed 1 liter of vodka (I bought it with cherries, it cost 520 rubles). Also, for the recipe, granulated sugar was needed in the amount of 400 g (45 rubles per kilo).
This is the frozen cherry I used.
I also needed 0,5 liter glass bottles and a clean 3 liter jar. I went down to the basement for the container, then washed it thoroughly and dried it.
Tip: if you bought cherries with pits, then you don’t have to take them out – freezing and sugar will neutralize hydrocyanic acid!
The cooking process
Finally, everything was ready, and I, burning with excitement and anticipation, set to work.
- I poured the cherry into the prepared jar, covered it with sugar and mixed it. I waited 20 minutes until the berries were saturated with sugar and melted a little, then I mixed it again. I left it on the kitchen table for an hour so that the sugar completely dispersed in the juice.
- An hour later, I discovered that the berries let out a lot of juice, the sugar in it all dissolved. I poured vodka into the container, mixed this mess and tightly closed the jar with a plastic lid. After that, he removed the vessel into a makeshift cellar – the temperature there is about room temperature – what is needed for infusing cherries.
- My “cherry” ripened for a week, every 10-12 hours I went down to the basement and shook the jar well. Every day the liquid became more and more dark, saturated, and I already felt its sweetish-tart taste in my mouth. At the end of the term, I squeezed and threw away the berries, strained the liquor through 3 layers of gauze and bottled it.
Fully prepared cherry liqueur.
Attention! It is recommended to infuse cherry for 10-14 days for a brighter taste. If the drink is made without sugar or honey was added instead, then it needs to be kept even longer – 25-30 days in complete darkness.
What result did I get
After bottling, it was necessary to taste the resulting infusion. I was afraid that it would turn out worse than my father-in-law, because there was something to compare with. Yes, and the holidays were approaching, I wanted to treat the guests with a drink made by myself, which you can’t buy in any store.
He took out the cork, sniffed: a bright aroma hit his nose, no – the aroma of cherry berries. I felt a little better – if you like the smell, I thought, then you will like the taste. My intuition did not let me down – the drink turned out exactly the way I wanted.
The viscous, sweetish liqueur went surprisingly easily. The smell of alcohol was almost not felt, the color was burgundy, there was a slight turbidity, but this did not bother me. I rejoiced like a child, still: the first time I rarely managed to cook yummy.
I put it in the refrigerator for 3 days so that the taste stabilizes, becomes even more pronounced. I waited as long as necessary, and went to surprise my wife. Guys, who prepared the same liqueur as they took the berries – fresh or frozen, is there a difference? Maybe add something else for taste? Share tips!
Dear readers, remember that alcohol abuse harms your body. Take care of yourself!