“I first made this in the summer of 2021, adapting a recipe from Steven Grasse’s Colonial Spirits: A Toast to Our Drunken History. That recipe calls for a vanilla bean, which gives the liqueur this wonderful soda fountain flavor, but a mixture of spices is truer to the 18th-century recipes that have survived. I favor dry, spicy rye whiskey if using vanilla bean, but Cognac if using spices, which meld nicely with the French brandy’s dried-fruit notes.” —Al Culliton, bartender and Punch contributor
Eighteenth-Century Cherry Bounce
Al Culliton | New England
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 3 cups rye whiskey or Cognac, divided
- 1 cup sugar if using rye, or 3/4 cup sugar if using Cognac
- 1 pound sour cherries, such as Morello, stemmed and pitted
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, if using rye, or 1 cinnamon stick, 3 whole cloves and 1 chunk of a whole nutmeg, if using Cognac
Directions
- In a 1-quart jar or wide-mouthed bottle, combine the sugar and half the whiskey or Cognac. Seal and shake briefly to dissolve the sugar.
- Add the remaining whiskey or Cognac, the cherries and either the vanilla bean and its seeds or the spices. Seal and gently turn upside-down several times.
- Store in a cool, dark place for at least 8 weeks or up to 6 months. (The best results come after 4 months.)
- When ready, pass through a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth, and press on the solids to extract all of the liquid.
- Bottle and store in a cool dark place, and use within 3 months.