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Older people remember the era of scarcity in the late 80s. Everything tasty and delicious could be “gotten” rather than bought. It was at that time that I had the idea to cook the most delicious cherry liqueur.
This story was sent by my subscriber Natalia M. Do you remember your first experiences of home-made delicious alcohol?
Origin of the idea
The idea came spontaneously: a 10-liter bottle was found on the balcony, the use of which I could not find in any way. A more experienced friend suggested that in such a container you can make homemade wine or liquor.
You don’t need a lot of ingredients for this – berries and sugar, you can add water or vodka – this is a matter of taste.
I had a supply of sugar – at the time of the global shortage, it was customary to buy salt and sugar for future use. I decided not to add vodka or alcohol – it’s expensive, and my girlfriends don’t like strong drinks. And without vodka it turned out quite economically, it remained only to get a cherry.
A bucket of ripe berries was brought by the same girlfriend, she narwhaled from friends, promising in return to treat them to future liquor.
Preparatory stage
Work boiled over. The bottle, washed to a shine, stood ready. A battery of cans and smaller bottles for future liquor was waiting in line on a shelf in the pantry.
There was no place to find out the exact cooking recipe – there was no Internet then, and cookbooks didn’t write about it either.
I already had to cook cherry jam, and I reasoned that the liqueur would require about the same amount of sugar.
I asked my friends how long to insist the berries, and received a vague answer: until they start to ferment, and the smell appears characteristic, in general – three weeks. They also warned that the cherries do not need to be washed – so it will roam better.
The cooking process
The cherries did not have to be washed, they were clean, straight from the tree, and very juicy. By weight, it was 5-6 kg, I prepared the same amount of sugar. Subsequently, less sugar was consumed, 3,5 kilograms.
Intuitively, I felt that such a proportion would be optimal, and I was not mistaken. Once again I asked my friends what to do and in what sequence, and started the process.
The cooking process looked like this:
- at the bottom of the bottle, I poured a little sugar so that the bottom was covered by 1 cm;
- tilting the bottle at an angle of 45 °, poured cherries in small handfuls, about 1 kg;
- alternately poured sugar and cherries in a ratio of 1: 2;
- filling the bottle almost to the top, poured 1 glass of water so that the sugar dissolves better;
- I put on a medical glove on the neck of the bottle and tied it tightly;
- put the bottle in the corner of the kitchen and covered it with a towel.
At this point, the initial stage was completed, and I prepared myself for a three-week wait for the result.
An agonizing wait and a long-awaited result
The first few days I curiously looked under the towel several times a day. Then she was distracted until she found a dark puddle on the floor near the bottle.
As a result of fermentation, the cherry rose, and the resulting liquid overflowed. I had to cast a part and leave three-quarters of the total volume.
A few days later, I saw that the cherry had risen in a dense layer to the top of the bottle, and a dark sediment had formed at the bottom of the bottle.
This meant that it was time to strain the liquid, add sugar and leave for some more time. This time I did not pull on the glove, but covered the neck with thick paper and wrapped it with twine.
A week later, the liqueur became completely transparent, only a thin layer of sediment formed at the bottom. In color, it resembled an exquisite ruby, and the taste was simply amazing – rich, fragrant, better than any liquor. It remains only to pour the liquor into bottles through a watering can, and hide it in a secluded place.
So for the first time in my life I prepared a whole bucket of liqueur. Soon some holiday arrived, and I invited my friends to the tasting.
After a good half of the liqueur had been drunk, one of the guys said: “Don’t throw away the cherries. You can add more sugar to them, and pour water over them – you will get excellent wine! But I didn’t experiment further.
Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health. Take care of yourself!
Do you remember your first experiences of making homemade alcohol? Did everything work out or did you have to pour it out of harm’s way?