StillSmart

I started a thread several months ago called Cherry Bomb. And bomb it did. Watery jars of morello cherries were never going to amount to much no matter what I did to them as Chill pointed out at the time.

They were desperate dark and cherry less times. Now the cherry season is here in New Zealand and I have been flat out making litres of the stuff. Oh my boozy brethren. It is bloody beautiful. I followed an Ancient Greek recipe. Well when I say ancient he's about 60 years old.

1 kilo of washed cherries leave the stalks on
1/2 cup of sugar (was 1 cup but prefer less)
Combine and leave in the sun for one week until the juice sweats out
Add a cinnamon stick and a few cloves.
Cover with brandy ( or vodka or I have used cachaca )
Stir to dissolve the sugar
Leave for 3 weeks

The cherries are firm
The liquor is like Christmas pudding in a glass
Happy days.

The last time I made this was ten years ago. I don't know why it took me so long.

So, I am about 8 months away from giving this a bash.
But I will, thanks.

Robert.

Yeh sorry about that I knew it would be a bit of tease and many months before you could do anything about it but if you can remember to buy some, do it !

I put some just on vodka but I doubt it will be anywhere near as good as Cherry Christmas !

Here are a few don'ts ...

Don't puncture the cherries thinking they will be better because you helped the alcohol get in and the juice get out ... you'll just wind up with flabby cherries ( and no one wants to wind up with flabby cherries ) Much better with a crisp snap when you bite into them.

Don't go on holiday and leave your cherries out in the sun thinking a few extra days wont matter. They will. The cherries will start to ferment. Fizzy flabby cherries. No one wants them.

Don't soak them in just plain spirits. I did.They are much nicer with the sugar and spice.

After the cherries and sugar have been in the sun together for a few days, one day you will come home and find that the sugar has dissolved and combined and the bottom of the jar is an inch deep in juice. It's now ready for the alcohol and spice.

Stop baiting me!

Robert.

Yeh cruel of me I know. Could have been worse I could have included the view.