Judith recently posted about making her own maraschino cherries, which reminded me that it was on my list of things to do one day. As it happens local sour cherries have just come into season and we were lucky enough to find some at the Doylestown Farmer's Market yesterday. Unfortunately I am clearly not alone in my wish because I could not get my hands on maraschino liqueur for love or money. A local store that normally stocks it will have more on Wednesday but I didn't want to leave the cherries in the fridge for that long.
I considered whiskey or bourbon but Alex doesn't drink either and it seemed silly to preserve them in something we couldn't share. Although I have to admit that I was sorely tempted by Drambuie, as I thought it's sweet, slightly herbaceous whiskey flavor would be wonderful with the cherries. Maybe if I can get my hands on another batch... The solution was tequila. Sauza Hornitos to be exact, sweetened with dark agave and with a yuzu leaf in each mason jar. I didn't pack the cherries as tightly as my Uncle Alex would have back in the days when he made his whiskey cherries but that's because our goal is both cherries and liqueur. I set them in a dark cupboard to age and hopefully we'll be able to leave them alone for a few weeks or months to let things come to fruition.
