Recipe Corner: Cherry Liqueur

An old favorite, put on the blog so we don't lose the recipe.

Cherry Liqueur aka Cherry Schnapps

2 lbs. cherries
2 cups sugar
4 cups vodka (or 2-1/2 cups brandy and 1-1/2 cups vodka)

Wash and stem the fruit, then cut open each cherry to expose the pit.  Put cherries in a large, clean jar.  Cover with sugar, stirring well to cover all the fruit.  Let it sit for 3-4 hours.  Then, stir in the booze until the sugar is mostly dissolved.  Seal and store in a cool, dark place for 2-3 months, stirring or shaking occasionally to enhance flavor extraction.

For the cherries, use the best-flavored ones you can find.  For the past few years, we've found big, black sweet cherries at the farmer's markets.  The shnapps ends up being deep red in color.  If you use yellow cherries, the color is more brown/golden.  I'm pretty sure this would taste good with pie cherries if you have access to those.

You're cutting them open a bit so the innards can mix well with the booze.  If you don't have time to let the cherries sit or get the sugar dissolved, don't worry about it.  The long, slow soak with occasional stirring will do the job.

You can strain out the cherries or leave them in until the jar is empty.  We usually leave them in.  When the jar is empty, I take out the cherries, pit them, and freeze the brandied cherries.  Or, if you need a few brandied cherries, eat them whenever you want.


This is highly medicinal, of course!  It's approximately the same thing as kirschwasser, one of those sweet fruit brandies that my parents used as an Old Country cough/cold remedy.


The same basic recipe idea can be used for lots of other kinds of fruit, such as raspberries or blackberries.  Also, if you prefer to pit the cherries instead of adding the pits to the liqueur, that's fine, too.