Sour Cherry Bourbon Cordial
For 1 quart:
3 pounds very ripe Montmorency or other tart red cherry
1 cup sugar
4 strips of lemon zest
2 cups vodka
2 cups bourbon
Add all to a large jar. Stir with a wooden spoon, crushing the cherries slightly (I add the cherries to the jar by the handful and give them a good squeeze before I drop them in.
Cover the jar tightly and store in a cool, dark place for 1 month (I put them in a room in the basement where it is dark nearly all of the time. I also let it go 3 months before straining).
Strain the bourbon through double cheesecloth until it is clear. Crush the cherries (potato masher), tie up in a cheesecloth bundle, and let drip like grape jelly. Add the drippings to the strained cordial. Pour into decorative bottles, (I save old bourbon and other nice looking bottles to bottle the homemade stuff), cover tightly, and store in a cool, dark place for a couple weeks before serving.
Recipe from "Enchanted Evenings" by John Hadamuscin (he wrote some great cookbooks if you haven't checked them out--do! They're sort of "downhome goes to town and gets gussied up").
