Homebrew Underground

This Part II straining step applies to both varieties of cherry liqueur – dark charry liqueur and tart cherry liqueur. In this straining step of either of these recipes, you need a common kitchen stainless steel strainer and some food grade cheese cloth. Make sure the cheese cloth is food grade. Some cheese cloth is sold for automotive detailing and is not suitable for this step.

Straining The Liqueur

The first step in straining the liqueur is to pour all the contents from the Mason Jar into the strainer over a saucepan or pot. All the cherries will collect in the strainer. Empty the saucepan or pot and pour the juice and vodka mixture into a clean Mason Jar:

Add some of the cherries to a piece of cheesecloth and gently squeeze them so the juice collects in the saucepan or pot:

When all the juice has been squeezed out of the cheese cloth, pour it into the Mason Jar. Repeat this process on small batches of the cherries until all the juice is squeezed out:

Now set the Mason Jar aside in a cool place and let it age for 2 to 3 months. During this time, sediments will settle to the bottom of the jar. At some point, rack off the clarified liqueur leaving the "sludge" or "slag" behind in the jar. When the time comes to bottle the liqueur, bottle only the clearest liqueur. This is the best quality. A good explanation of "racking" can be found at Gunther Anderson’s website on making liqueur.