Drunken Cherries/Flavored Booze

Our little cherry tree post pruning.

It's been awhile since I last posted. Life is busy these days and new recipes have been on the back burner. Even this one is a blast from the past. I did this recipe 3 years ago when we had an amazing cherry season when I first arrived in Germany. Our cherry tree has been a bit barren since then but after a little pruning from the landlord, the beast awoke and produced an amazing number of cherries this year. What to do with them? Well eat them, of course. In as many creative ways as possible! Here is one of my favorite ways to enjoy the fruits of the season.

Drunken Cherries/Flavored Booze

Ingredients:

• Fresh Cherries (stem on or off, doesn't matter): They can be store bought. I know very few people who are lucky enough to have a cherry tree in their yard.
• Good Brandy/Cognac/Rum/Vodka/Whiskey: Your choice on the liquor, but get some decent stuff. Cheap liquor has a lot of impurities in it and the enhancing of the flavors will also enhance the taste of the impurities. Don't go broke on booze, but don't settle for $5 handle of vodka either--it's not a good idea for cooking (or drinking for that matter).
• Grenadine Syrup: If you buy cherries from the supermarket, they probably won't be as sweet as you'd like them. If you'd like to sweeten them up a bit while adding some artificial cherry flavor, this is the way to go. I personally don't use it, but this recipe can be a bit harsh for some.

Method: Now pay attention because this is difficult :)

1. Fill a mason jar to the bottom of the brim with cherries.
2. Cover the cherries with the liquor of your choice. If you want to add grenadine syrup, now would be the time to add it.
3. Put a lid on it and place it in the refrigerator for 1 week. Test one after a week. If you like the way it tastes, eat them. If you don't, leave them in for another week and check again. If you don't like them at that point, give them to someone who you know likes the taste of alcohol and wait for the rave reviews. I wouldn't save them much past 3 weeks. Even though alcohol is a great preservative, I personally wouldn't eat them. If at any point there is an unusual tingling on your tongue, discard them.

This is a really simple recipe recipe that can go two ways. You get booze flavored cherries or cherry flavored booze. Both are consumable so feel free to divide and conquer.  As always, be responsible with these things. Due to my rough Missouri education, I wouldn't trust my math, but I would estimate that 5-6 cherries would equal the amount of alcohol found in one drink. So if you eat the entire jar, be prepared to sit tight for awhile and DO NOT DRIVE OR OPERATE HEAVY MACHINERY.