As the title says really. I like cherry brandy, especially at Christmas time. I’ve had several goes at making it myself using fresh cherries, with varying degrees of success. The main problems are:
- I don’t have access to sour cherries, e.g. Morellos, so end up using sweet ones which don’t have such a complex flavour.
- It’s a sticky slaister (lovely Scottish word for mess), and time consuming to prep the cherries.
- Even after straining, the result is a bit dingy. Not a big deal if the flavour were fab. However, it’s not. It’s okay but not fab.
I’ve tried buying the ready made stuff, but apart from the expense, today’s products taste a bit artificial. What I want is a drink that I remember from when I was a nipper - called Cherry Heering - boozy and beautifully fruity. Not too sweet and almondy as well. It’s still around but hard to find and very dear.
I already buy CherryActive, a sour cherry concentrate ( active-edge.co.uk/products/active-edge-cherryactive-concentrate-946ml#.Ws34ycoo-hA ) to drink for health reasons, and wonder if I could get my heart’s desire my mixing it with some booze, a bit of sugar, and perhaps a tiny bit of natural almond extract.
Has anyone tried this or something similar, or have any experiences that suggest whether this might be successful?
Thanks in advance.