Cherry Vodka
I realize we’re nearing the end of cherry season, but this cherry vodka is so easy to make that I want to get it under the wire.
The recipe comes from Darra Goldstein’s marvelous Beyond The North Wind: Russia in Recipes and Lore.
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This recipe calls for cherry pits rather than the cherries themselves. To this end, you need some way to pit 36 cherries. My cherry pitter cost $14.99, and has repaid itself many times over. Lacking $14.99, the flat side of a chef’s knife makes an admirable cherry pitter. Just take care to aim the sharp end of the knife away from you.
Having pitted 36 cherries, you must then crush the cherry pits. It’s a good idea to wash the floor before commencing pit crushing, as a they tend to fly about.
I did not photograph my cherry pit-studded floor.
Meat mallets are ideal crushing implements. No meat mallet? A pestle will work, as will a small, clean hammer. I did not remember to photograph any of these implements. Never mind. Here are more cherries. From our tree. (Three words I find amazing.)
As you crush the pits, drop them into a waiting jar of vodka. Allow them to infuse for two days.
Once the two days are up, the vodka will have taken on a gentle pink tint. Strain the pits, return the vodka to a clean bottle or jar, and store in the freezer.
Serve chilled.
Cherry Vodka
prep time: About 20 minutes active time. Two days infusion time.
yield: 3 cups/750 ml vodka
From Darra Goldstein’s Beyond The North Wind: Russa in Recipes and Lore
With thanks to Darra for kindly sharing the recipe.
You will need a cherry pitter or chef’s knife to pit the cherries, a 3-cup/750 ml lwide mouth jar with a lid, a meat mallet or comparable object to crush cherry the pits, and a fine strainer.
36 sweet cherries
3 cups/750 ml vodka
Wash the jar and lid in hot soapy water. The jar may also be sterilized in the dishwasher. I use the oven to dry the jar, but we’re about to fill it with alcohol, so it’s more important that the jar be immaculate than it be perfectly dry.
Fill jar with the vodka and set it beside your work station.
Pit the cherries. See notes, below, for ways to use the cherries.
As noted in the post, crushing cherry pits can involve a few escaped bits. You might want to give the surronding floor a quick wipe.
Crush the pits. I use the flat side of a meat mallet for this task. Crushing one pit at a time on an folded dishtowel helps rein in scattering pieces.
Drop the crushed pits–and the resulting bits–into the vodka. Once you’re finished, cap the jar and allow it to infuse for two days.
Once the two days are up, strain the vodka through a fine strainer. If you don’t have a fine strainer, use kitchen muslin over a larger colander to ensure the smaller pieces of cherry pit are removed.
Either return the cherry vodka to the same jar, or pour it into an immaculately clean liquor bottle. Cap, freeze, and either use immediately or save to enjoy during the winter months.
Notes:
To freeze fresh cherries, cover a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. Spread the cherries on the baking sheet so none are touching. Place the baking sheet in the freezer 2-12 hours. Remove cherries from the freezer. Pour fruit into a ziploc-style freezer bag, squeezing as much air out as possible. Use cherries in tarts, muffins, cakes, ice creams, and so on. Best if used within three months.
To use up fresh cherries, eat them raw, fold them into baking as noted above, slice and fold into yogurt or ice cream. Fresh cherries may be scattered over waffles, pancakes, or pound cake.
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