Bourbon Cherries (sour cherries)
- Total Time: 45 Minutes
Description
We will probably make both kinds of bourbon cherries every season as they are quite different…but Brock and I both feel that this is our favorite. Bourbon Cherries with the large regular cherries are boozier and quicker to make – great for party cocktails, on ice cream or any part of a dessert – but sour cherries are simply a step up, if you can find them when they’re in season! I found this recipe in ‘Preserving by the Pint’ by Marisa McClellan – good luck!
Ingredients
Bourbon Cherries (sour cherries) – makes 2, 250 mL jars
1 1/2 lbs. sour cherries, washed and pitted
1 c. sugar
2 T. EACH bottled lemon juice AND bourbon
Instructions
Prepare your jars as you would for processing. Put all of the cherries into a large bowl, add the sugar, stir well to combine and then allow the cherries to macerate for about a half hour – the sugar should be mostly dissolved after sitting in the cherry juices.
Scrape all of the fruit and juice into a medium sauce pan, add the lemon juice and bourbon, then cook and stir over medium-high heat until the cherries have softened a bit and there’s a good amount of syrup developing – this took me 10 to 15 minutes, and things got a little foamy as they simmered.
Remove the pot from the heat and funnel the cherries and syrup into your sterilized jars, leaving about a 1/2 inch of head space. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and process as you would. These are tastiest if left to mature for a couple of weeks (we prefer them chilled) – enjoy!
- Category: Beverage, Pickles
