Here’s a quick and easy recipe for bakers and tipplers – cherry pit vodka. If you’re canning cherries or making cherry jam, you already have plenty of pits, so why not put them to use? You can use your infused vodka to add cherry almond flavor to recipes or drinks.

Stone fruit like cherries, peaches, nectarines, and plums are related to almonds. When you infuse the fruit pits into vodka, it adds a delicate almond flavor and aroma. There’s also the tartness of the cherries, and beautiful cherry color.

How to Make Cherry Pit Vodka

To make cherry pit vodka, start with fresh cherries. We used sour cherries, but sweet cherries are fine, too. As I mentioned, we saved the pits from canning cherries. (Thank you to the reader who made the suggestion.)

If you don’t have a cherry pitter, see “How to Pit Cherries without a Pitter.” Discard any pits that ae damaged or spoiled.

Place the pits into a clean glass container with a lid, such as a mason jar or peanut butter jar. Cover the pits with good quality unflavored vodka. I didn’t measure exact amounts, but all the pits should be covered.

Don’t use excess vodka, or your infusion won’t have much flavor. Stick with a ratio of 1/2 cup pits (or more) to 1 cup vodka. Adding more pits will give a more intense flavor.

Seal the container and store it in a cool, dark location for at least a week. Two to four weeks is better for more cherry almond flavor. The leftover fruit on the pits will ferment a little, so it’s a good idea to burp the jar every few days to vent CO2.

When the infusion time is done, strain your cherry pit vodka through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove the cherry pits.

Place the strained liquid into a clean jar or bottle. Seal, date and label for storage. For best flavor, use within a year or so.

How to Use Your Cherry Pit Infused Vodka

Cherry pit vodka made with sour cherries has a flavor somewhat like homemade Kirsch or Kirschwasser. Kirsch is a colorless brandy traditionally made from a double distillation of sour Morello cherries. It is not sweet, but it has a lovely aroma.

Try your cherry pit infusion as a substitute for cherry or almond extracts in baking. You can also use it like kirsch in fondue, cherries jubilee, or chocolates.

For drinks, serve chilled in small glasses as an aperitif, or combine with soda water and fruit juice in a spritzer. Try it in vodka tonics or other vodka cocktails.

For those who like a little more sweetness, combine the cherry pit vodka with a simple syrup to make cherry pit liqueur.

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