Chokecherry Liquor

Information about fruit/vegetable type washes.

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mountainmurphy8194
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Chokecherry Liquor

Post by mountainmurphy8194 »

Just spent about two hours picking, and another hour cleaning these chokecherries (Prunus virginiana). Got about a gallon and a half (roughly 8-10lb).

I’d like to do an eau de vie with these, utilizing only the sugars present in the fruit, but I would likely need at least four times this quantity to make a large enough wash to be worthwhile. Finding the free time to forage that much fruit will be a challenge before the cherries are gone by for the year.

So, my other options:

1. Run a sugarhead with these cherries as the flavoring/additional sugar.

2. Beef up the volume with a combination of unsweetened tart cherry juice and sweet cherries from the supermarket.

Thoughts?
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Chokecherries, about 8-10lb
Chokecherries, about 8-10lb
If barley be wanting to make into malt,
We must be contented, and think it no fault;
For we can make liquor to sweeten our lips
Of pumpkins and parsnips and walnut tree chips.
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still_stirrin
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Re: Chokecherry Liquor

Post by still_stirrin »

Panty-dropper.

Make a sugar wash and macerate the fruit in the low wines. Then, run it back through the still. But save a few of the fresh fruit to macerate the spirit run collection when it comes offstill. Back-sweeten, if necessary.

It’ll have a nice “tart” quality from the fruit, plus a little “blush” from the maceration. Try it. I think you’ll like it.
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subbrew
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Re: Chokecherry Liquor

Post by subbrew »

Save a bit of juice and freeze as ice cubes. Put on in a glass of bourbon, you will be surprised how nice the flavors work together.
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EricTheRed
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Re: Chokecherry Liquor

Post by EricTheRed »

I would do a pure maceration. Take some high proof neutral enough to completely cover the fruit plus. Let it sit for a month then strain out the fruit
Simple syrup to sweeten to taste or just dilute to 45%

You'll get more flavored product than running it through the still
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Demy
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Re: Chokecherry Liquor

Post by Demy »

I have run cherries many times, I have waited for them to ripen a lot on the tree (very dark color). I only used cherries, then macerated a couple of cherries for flavor / color. My first option would be to get you more cherries. the second would be to add sugar to the cherries but leave some aside, to guarantee a post-distillation maceration.
hawkwing
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Re: Chokecherry Liquor

Post by hawkwing »

About a week about I picked almost 60 lbs of choke cherries. I used about 50 for wine. I filled a gallon jar to the top and then filled with 90% alcohol. I’ll let it extract for a month or so and see what it’s like when sweetened.
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subbrew
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Re: Chokecherry Liquor

Post by subbrew »

wow, 60 lb, that is a lot. I have had Yooper's chokecherry wine (search homebrewtalk.com for the recipe) and it is wonderful. Look forward to hearing how your flavored liquor turns out.
Photoguy-70
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Re: Chokecherry Liquor

Post by Photoguy-70 »

Am interested also. Have made choke cherry wine many times before but never run it through a still. Am really curious how it turns out.
hawkwing
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Re: Chokecherry Liquor

Post by hawkwing »

Oh I had no intention of running it though a still. Just extracting flavor like the panty dropper.
mountainmurphy8194
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Re: Chokecherry Liquor

Post by mountainmurphy8194 »

hawkwing wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:16 am About a week about I picked almost 60 lbs of choke cherries. I used about 50 for wine. I filled a gallon jar to the top and then filled with 90% alcohol. I’ll let it extract for a month or so and see what it’s like when sweetened.
60 pounds!? How many hours did that take?
If barley be wanting to make into malt,
We must be contented, and think it no fault;
For we can make liquor to sweeten our lips
Of pumpkins and parsnips and walnut tree chips.
hawkwing
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Posts: 230
Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2022 5:57 am

Re: Chokecherry Liquor

Post by hawkwing »

mountainmurphy8194 wrote: Thu Sep 22, 2022 6:39 pm
hawkwing wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:16 am About a week about I picked almost 60 lbs of choke cherries. I used about 50 for wine. I filled a gallon jar to the top and then filled with 90% alcohol. I’ll let it extract for a month or so and see what it’s like when sweetened.
60 pounds!? How many hours did that take?
About 8 hours to pick. They used to grow thicker years ago. They were like grapes when I picked them about 20 years ago. I’m surprised how much cherry flavor is coming out. The bitterness must be staying inside.
hawkwing
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Re: Chokecherry Liquor

Post by hawkwing »

So I finally got around to straining this out. I tried measuring the alcohol content and with the hydrometer it is zero and with the refractometer the whole window is purple. It doesn't taste very strong. Definitely lower than 20%. The berries themselves taste hotter. I'm trying to run half the berries with water in my air still now. will see what comes out. I'm not sure if I even need to strain it or just let it settle. I hope to sweeten and get it around 20% or a little more like other liqueurs I've had. Might have to do it by taste.

If anyone has any experience to offer I'd appreciate it.
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