Cherry Brandy

adelek1990

So for christmas this year I'm making my own gifts for people (Partner - Candy bouquet. Dad, Scottish tablet, short bread and possibly Truffles - same for the Father-in-law)

My Step Mum - I want to make her Cherry Brandy because she loves it. I've been searching around the internet for a recipe but none of them look any good. Most jut say put chrries and sugar in a jar, and sugar and brandy and leave it for 4 months.... plus there no instructions of ensuring I disinfect the jars properly! the last thing I want to do is make her ill!!!

Does anyone have a recipe? Has anyone ever made it?

Dekazer

Hiya,

I've not made cherry brandy, but I regularly make sloe gin and blackberry whisky/brandy/vodka, all with fruit that grows near my home. Blackberries are out at the moment, sloes are best picked a little later, but it's looking like another good year down here.

I suspect the recipes you have will work fine! All my recipes have been honed slightly over time, in terms of quantities, but they're essentially just fruit, spirit and sugar.

You can disinfect your containers sufficiently by running them through a dishwasher. Alternatively (for those of us without dishwashers) you can immerse them in boiling water and dry them in an oven on a low heat.

If using blackberries, make sure you remove the fruit within 3 months otherwise it goes manky. Other fruits, like sloes, can stay in for much longer.

If you had time, you could make a couple of batches and then give your Step Mum the best and blend the rest. If you're doing that, try different types of sugar (e.g. white caster, golden brown, muscovado etc) or try mixing them. Some people like to add extras, like a drop of vanilla essence or a clove or two. I'm a bit of a purist and now just use fruit, spirit and sugar. Bung everything in a jar or bottle, shake it every day for a week then every week for a few months, then drink!

Finally, if your Step Mum likes other types of drink, you can make lovely flavoured vodkas in a much shorter time. I made a really nice Christmas Pudding flavoured one for our wedding and it went down a treat! That only took a couple of weeks..

Good luck

NorthernDan

I love cherry brandy, I may make some myself after reading this! great post!

wik

Hi there.. I made cherry brandy last year.. I got a couple of punnets of cherries reduced in Mr T one sunday afternoon, So I picked up a bottle of cheap brandy.
I had some kilner jars at home.. and looked up how to sterilise them...
the info was for jam jars - but works for kilner jats.. just take the rubber ring off first!

~ Sterilise the jam jars - first wash the jars in soapy water and rinse in clean warm water. Allow them to drip-dry, upside down, on a rack in the oven set to 140C/275F/Gas 1. Leave them there for at least half an hour while you make the jam.~

once jars are cool you pack in the cherries, add sugar, and brandy.. I used 4oz of sugar.. then shake a bit, then put in a cupboard, and give the bottle a shake daily, but do remember to put the rubber bit back on jar as a brandy shower is not a good thing to happen!!
wik x