To Make Cherry Brandy
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Have ready some glass bottles, which must be perfectly dry.
Ascertain that the cherries are not too ripe and are freshly gathered, and cut off about half of the stalks.
Fill the bottles
Put the cherries into the bottles, with the above proportion of sugar to every lb. of fruit; strew this in between the cherries.
When the bottles are nearly full, pour in sufficient brandy to reach just below the cork.
Add a few peach or apricot kernels, or a few blanched bitter almonds, to the mixture.
Seal and store
Put corks or bungs into the bottles, tie over them a piece of bladder.
Store away in a dry place.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Brandy
- Preserves the fruit and carries its flavour into the liquid.
- Sugar (in the method)
- Adds sweetness and draws juice from the cherries to help the fruit soak.
- Cherries (in the method)
- Supply the main fruit flavour and colour of the finished liquor.
The step that matters
Use dry bottles and sound, freshly gathered cherries that are not overripe. Any moisture in the bottles or overripe, bruised fruit can introduce moisture and microbes that encourage fermentation and spoilage, so the brandy may not preserve the fruit as intended.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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