There are two ways to make bird cherry liqueur: by insisting on vodka (alcohol, moonshine) or start fermentation, in which the yeast will process part of the sugar into alcohol. In the first case, you get a strong drink with notes of berries in taste and aroma, in the second – almost like wine, only sweeter. We will consider both recipes.
We need fresh, frozen and dried berries of any variety: ordinary, red, lilac, Siberian, etc. bird cherry. Frozen fruits should be thawed beforehand.
Pouring of bird cherry on vodka
Prepared by insisting on strong alcohol according to a simple recipe.
Ingredients:
- vodka (alcohol 40-45%, moonshine) – 0,5 liters;
- bird cherry – 250 grams of fresh or 75-100 grams of dried berries;
- sugar – 50-150 grams (to taste).
Recipe
1. Pour berries into a jar to infuse. Add sugar. Shake several times to mix evenly.
2. Pour in vodka or other alcohol base (should cover a layer of bird cherry by at least 2-3 cm).
3. Close the container tightly, leave for 30 days in a dark room at room temperature. Shake every 5 days.
4. Strain the finished liqueur through gauze. Taste, add more sugar if desired and stir. Pour the drink into bottles. Close hermetically.
Shelf life when stored away from direct sunlight – up to 3 years. Fortress – 30-35%.
Pouring of bird cherry without vodka
Made by fermentation. The recipe is more complicated than in the first case and it takes more time, but the taste is softer, the aroma of berries is better felt, and the strength is lower.
Ingredients:
- fresh bird cherry berries – 3 kg;
- sugar – 500 gram;
- unwashed raisins – 30-50 grams (optional).
Recipe
1. Carefully sort the berries, remove spoiled, moldy and rotten ones. Do not wash the bird cherry, so that wild yeast remains on the skin.
2. Crush the fruits with your hands or a wooden rolling pin, be sure to crush each berry.
3. Pour the resulting mass into a fermentation container, add sugar and raisins (a source of yeast in case they are not on the surface of the bird cherry). Mix.
4. Install a water seal on the neck or a medical glove with a hole pierced by a needle in one of the fingers. Move the container to a dark place with a temperature of 18-26°C. Leave until the end of fermentation (average 20-45 days).
5. When the water seal does not blow bubbles for several days (the glove will deflate), filter the prepared cherry liquor through 3-4 layers of gauze, pour into bottles, close tightly.
6. Before drinking, send the drink for aging in the cellar or refrigerator for at least 2-3 months to improve the taste.
Shelf life – up to 2 years. Fortress – 7-12%.
