A holiday treat from my husband’s upbringing. Super simple to make, all you need is a bit of prior planning. Making it in advance, plan for 3 months before any holiday that you might enjoy. We got this process started in September for this Christmas.
The recipe is traditionally made with Morello cherries; however, we typically make ours with sour (or tart) cherries, based on what we have available. You do not want to use already sweet or syrupy cherries for this recipe.
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Polish Cherry Brandy (Wisniak)
A holiday treat that is easy to make. Truly set it and forget it. Just make sure you get it started a few months in advance!
1/2poundsour cherries(washed, stemmed, and pitted) OR 1 can, drained
1cupgranulated sugar
2cupsvodka(or rectified spirits)
Instructions
Place cherries in the jar.
Pour sugar over the cherries (without stirring or shaking)
Pour the vodka over the cherries. The jar should be full, leaving a slight air gap at the top. Pour the vodka slowly, being careful not to stir or shake the mixture.
Tightly close the jar and place it in a dark, cool location (such as a pantry or cupboard) for 3 months at room temperature.
After three months, strain and save the liquid. You can either drink it immediately or age it further.
Notes
Traditionally, it is drunk as is, but it is also delicious when mixed with ginger ale for a holiday cherry spritzer.
The fruit will be extremely boozy and may not have much remaining flavor of cherries, but it can be enjoyed on ice cream, cakes, or with other desserts.
5 stars, I hope! Concerning “Polish Cherry Brandy” – I just made this 2-weeks ago with the final horizon 12-weeks out, prior to Christmas. I did no stirring or shaking as instructed, however the sugar has sunk to the bottom of the bottles. Will the sugar disolve magically, if I keep it “as-is” for 12 more weeks? Or should I stir and shake at some point in the 3 month process? Many, many other recipies for Wisniak, say to stir and shake. Thanks, Mike
The sugar should dissolve in that time (at least it always has for us in the years that we’ve been doing it). The not stirring/shaking was a very specific point on my husband’s family recipe, but I also can’t see it harming anything if you’re concerned and want to give it a shake.
2 Comments
Mike Miscoski
5 stars, I hope! Concerning “Polish Cherry Brandy” – I just made this 2-weeks ago with the final horizon 12-weeks out, prior to Christmas. I did no stirring or shaking as instructed, however the sugar has sunk to the bottom of the bottles. Will the sugar disolve magically, if I keep it “as-is” for 12 more weeks? Or should I stir and shake at some point in the 3 month process? Many, many other recipies for Wisniak, say to stir and shake. Thanks, Mike
Angela
The sugar should dissolve in that time (at least it always has for us in the years that we’ve been doing it). The not stirring/shaking was a very specific point on my husband’s family recipe, but I also can’t see it harming anything if you’re concerned and want to give it a shake.