Last week's post on homemade whiskey sours reminded me of an e-mail I received from Fleen's Gary Tyrrell sharing a recipe for the "Jacked-Up Cherry Sour" he learned by way of Mark Pascal & Francis Schott of Catherine Lombardi & Stage Left restaurants in New Brunswick, NJ.
3/4 oz simple syrupOkay, now for the infused applejack -- this is less "liquor infused with fruit" and more "fruit preserved in liquor". The difference is, when it's done both the liquor and the fruit are edible. Adjust amounts down if you aren't a bar/restaurant (or use small jars and give as gifts at Christmas).
1/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz lemon juice
1.5 oz Laird's Bonded Applejack (the 100 proof stuff, not the 80 proof)
1 egg white
1.5 oz cherry-infused applejack
Combine all ingredients & shake over ice. Strain into up glass, garnish with Angostura bitters on top of foam, spread out so the bitters delight the nose.
1 qt Laird's applejack** leftover liquid can be made into sorbet, sauce, or anything really.
1 qt brown demerara (raw) sugar
2 qt pitted cherries
1 cinnamon stick
Toss cherries in half the sugar and let sit overnight. Mix remaining sugar w/applejack, pour over cherries, cover with plastic. Let sit 1 day to 2 weeks (yes, weeks!) to allow for fluid exchange.
While the cherries are soaking, go to USDA.gov and learn about safe food canning practices. Sterilize lids & jars, fill with cherries & pour in liquid** (leave at least 1/2 inch top space to avoid explosion), add cinnamon stick. Hand-tighten tops. Sink in simmering water for prescribed time (10% longer is safe). Remove from water & hard-tighten the lids. Even though we're preserving in liquor, it won't help with anaerobic bacteria, so treat it as if it didn't have the alcohol. Set 'er down and see how it is after 3 months or so.
Hey, man... think before you drink.