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Making Cherry Bounce is a time-honored tradition in Wisconsin. Sweet cherries combine with sugar and brandy to create a potent liqueur. Use it in some of my best cocktail recipes or give it as a lovely homemade gift during the holiday season!
For those of you that don’t know, cherry bounce is a boozy fruit liqueur made out of cherries and brandy that’s extremely popular here in the Midwest. It’s often made during peak cherry season in late summer and stored away until the cold winter months to be enjoyed during holiday celebrations.
It’s easy as can be to make and requires only three ingredients! It is indulgent and delicious and an awesome hostess gift if you’re looking for something unique to give during the Christmas season.
Ingredients for Cherry Bounce
- Cherries – You can use tart or sweet, fresh or frozen cherries.
- Brandy – In our house it’s Korbel brandy. It’s what we use to make brandy slush and what we use to make bounce!
- Sugar – Plain, granulated sugar. Use more for a sweeter bounce and less for a more booze-forward bounce.
How to make cherry bounce like a Wisconsinite
This is just a brief overview, find detailed instructions in the recipe card below!
- Add cherries to a jar. I use a quart mason jar for this recipe and all the ratios of ingredients are perfect to fill it!
- Add the sugar. You can use between ½ cup and 1 cup, I like to use ¾ cup of sugar. Make a few batches to see what you prefer.
- Pour in the brandy. 2 cups of it.
- Shake or stir to combine. Shaking with a leak-proof lid is my favorite way to get the sugar all dissolved in the solution.
- Store and wait. The bounce needs to sit in a cool and dark place (like a basement) for at least two months, the longer the better.
Before and after storage
In the picture below you’ll notice the batches of bounce look different.
The one on the left is lighter, the cherries floating near the top of the jar. That was made specifically for these photos and is only about 30 minutes old.
The one on the right is darker, with the cherries sunk to the bottom. That one was mixed back in February! The cherries have had time to soak up the booze (making them heavier so they sink), and have infused the liquid with their delicious, syrupy sweet flavor.
When you’re serving the cherry bounce you can eat the cherries, too. But be warned, they are potent!
Using frozen cherries
While this drink is usually made when the cherries are at their peak ripeness in Door County, Wisconsin, I’m firmly aware not everyone has access to sun-drenched and sweet fresh cherries that they can pick themselves!
That’s why I love that you can use an exact 1:1 ratio of frozen cherries in this recipe in place of fresh. A single 12-ounce bag from the freezer section is perfect to make a batch.
If you’re going to be using frozen cherries, it’s important to note that the sugar will take longer to mix into the brandy and dissolve. Something to do with the cold temperature and thawing cherries.
Mix up the jar as instructed in the recipe card and leave it on the kitchen counter for the afternoon, periodically shaking it up until the sugar is dissolved. A few good shakes every 10 minutes or so should work just perfectly.
Once the cherries are thawed and the sugar is mixed in, you can store the bounce in a cool and dark place as normal.
Tart vs Sweet Cherries
I have made bounce many times using both sweet and tart cherries and I’ve got to say, I have a hard time choosing which one I prefer!
The sweet cherries obviously make the bounce sweeter, and the tart cherries provide more of a balance to the drink. No matter which you choose though you’re sure to love this liqueur!
A great gift option
I love, love, LOVE giving a homemade gift. Cherry bounce fits that bill perfectly!
A fun container, cute label, and festive ribbon are all you need to make this a gift that’s totally worth giving and even better for getting!
Much like a batch of boozy eggnog, homemade vanilla extract, or all the ingredients for a festive simmer pot, a jar of cherry bounce is a great item to keep on hand to give to friends and family during Christmas.
As always, make sure that you know the recipient of the gift drinks alcohol and doesn’t have a problem receiving booze as a gift!
Ways to use
Cherry bounce is great as an after-dinner sipper. And we all know how much us Wisconsinites love a digestif. If you don’t want to drink an ice cream grasshopper, try pouring a bit of bounce over ice and slowly sipping the sweet drink.
You can also use cherry bounce in place of regular brandy in a Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned. It will make the drink even sweeter and more cherry-forward. What fun!
Watch the recipe video!
Wisconsin Cherry Bounce (using fresh or frozen cherries)
Equipment
- Quart Mason Jar with Lid
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (about 2 - 2 ½ cups) pitted cherries, fresh or frozen
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, more or less to taste
- 2 cups brandy
Instructions
- In a quart mason jar combine 12 ounces cherries and ½ cup – 1 cup sugar (I prefer to use ¾ cup, adjust based on your preference for sweetness. More sugar means a sweeter bounce.)
- Pour 2 cups of brandy over the cherries and sugar. The jar will be very full! Put on a leak-proof lid and shake the jar until sugar is dissolved. (Alternatively, you can stir the mixture in a large bowl and transfer to a jar if need be.)
- Once the sugar is dissolved, store the cherry bounce, covered, in a cool, dark place for at least 2 months or longer. Bounce can be stored for up to a year (and yes, you can still eat the cherries).
- Serve neat, over ice, or in place of brandy in your favorite cocktails.
Video
Notes
- If using frozen cherries in place of fresh, the sugar will take longer to dissolve. Shake the jar every 10 minutes or so as the cherries thaw and sugar dissolves. Once sugar is fully dissolved in brandy store the bounce in a cool, dark place as directed in the recipe card.
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