Versions of this drink date even earlier in Europe. But this cordial was a favorite of Revolutionary War luminaries such as George Washington and James Madison.
There are several recipes and methods of preparation. Some put it in a warm sunny spot for a week then into a dark cool place. Some go straight into a dark cool place and some are almost immediately refrigerated. The curing time also varies from one week to up to six months.
My method.
4 (12 oz) bags of frozen tart cherries
5 cups of vanilla brandy
3 cinnamon sticks broken in half
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
a dash of ground nutmeg
Thaw the cherries in a bowl (I was impatient and used them partially frozen. We’ll see if they explode or something later.)
Take 5 pint sized Mason jars and clean them well.
Into each jar add 1/4 cup sugar, half a cinnamon stick, dash of nutmeg and 1 cup of brandy.
Seal the jar and shake until the sugar is dissolved.
Unseal and add the cherries and any juice to the top of the jar.
Seal and shake again.
Place the jars in a closet.
Every once in a while over the next few months I’ll give them a shake to dissolve any sugar.
Around Thanksgiving (it’s currently July) I’ll unseal one and check it. If it looks good I’ll serve it and decide whether or not to save the rest for Christmas or just serve it then.
To serve: Drain the juice from the solids and refrigerate. Serve over ice.
(Note: That EJ Vanilla brandy is delicious!)
