Spicyana

Homemade Cherry Liqueur

Making fruit liqueurs at home is unbelievably easy, yet the flavor, richness and aroma of the homemade versions are quite comparable to their store-bought equivalents. Occasionally I use these fruit liqueurs in baking as flavoring agents, in sugar syrups for moistening cakes, and rarely in frostings. I usually make cherry and berry liqueurs while the fruits are still in season, making enough liqueur to flavor my confections year around. The following recipe is for the homemade cherry liquor I used in the black forest cake recipe. This is a basic protocol for making fruit liqueurs in general, feel free to experiment with berries, orange peels, apricot and other fruits of your choice. Scale down the recipe according to your requirement, maintaining the same proportion between fruit, alcohol and sugar.

Recipe

1 lb (450 g) cherries
3 cups vodka* (or 1 1/2 cup pure grain alcohol + 1 1/2 cup water).
1 1/2 cup sugar

Wash well and pit cherries, transfer to a wide- mouth bottle, pour alcohol over, close tightly and keep for 2 days. Open the jar, stir the contents, and repeat the process twice more within a week. Keep it undisturbed for 4 weeks. Open, stir again. Keep for 8 more weeks. Open the jar. Remove the cherries and strain the liqueur and transfer to a narrow- neck bottle. Add sugar, stir well and keep undisturbed for 1-2 months. Filter through fine cheese clothe and pour into fresh bottles. Store tightly closed. Liqueur keeps well for many months, and the flavors mellow over time.

Notes
Use clean and dry glass bottles for preparation and storage.
For imparting a nutty flavor to the liqueur crush some cherry seeds and add at the beginning step.
* I used vodka in this recipe