Recipe for making cherry jam, cherry wine or cherry liqueur?

Historically, in Ukraine, the main drink was cherry brandy, or cherry brandy. This is due to the fact that wars were almost constantly taking place on the territory of Ukraine: from the fifth century of Viking raids, the times of Yaroslav, the Cossacks, and up to the present day. In addition, the main transport arteries between the West and the East, from the North to the South, passed through Ukraine. Therefore, the question arose of creating such a universal drink that would satisfy the needs of that time. What to drink on long military or trade campaigns in the absence of water? A drink that is quickly prepared during the season, and you don't worry about it being stolen during raids? In addition, it should "cheer up". In England at that time, there was already its own drink - sidor. And in our country it was cherry! Moreover, in Ukraine, cherries grew almost throughout the territory, the plant is unpretentious and very tasty.

Unfortunately, the oppression of the Soviet regime destroyed everything human, so now the task falls on our shoulders to restore what was lost.

If in England sidor was prepared by monks, then in Ukraine vyshnjak was prepared by women. And as the saying goes: "there are as many women as there are recipes for vyshnjak." There are also many types of cherries themselves. And that is why vyshnjak has so many flavors.

To prepare the cherry jam, we need cherries. We collect cherries in late June or early July, depending on the weather. We pay attention to the fact that the cherries are ripe and without roots or leaves. We pour the collected cherries into a vat (glass, stainless steel). There are recipes in which the cherries are washed, but for better fermentation, washing is not necessary. Many housewives remove the stone, but the stone also adds its own flavor, bitterness - so it's up to you.

After that, we add sugar or honey to the vat with cherries. Since sugar was invented quite recently, previously only honey was used.

Then the fermentation stage begins. We leave the cherries with sugar in a warm room. And again, it all depends on the hostess. There are recipes in which, on the contrary, they put them in a cool place where they could ferment for up to a year. During fermentation, sugar and honey are added again, or not added depending on the recipe. You can also add other fruits separately: raspberries, strawberries, currants, blackcurrants... no one is stopping you here.
After three months of fermentation, we start tasting. If we see that the cherry wine tastes good and is no longer fermenting, we drain it and leave it in a cool place for another month. There are also no clear rules here: some people start drinking it right away, while others leave it in the cellar for another six months to let the drink settle.
Depending on the sun, the type of cherry, the amount of sugar, the fermentation period, the alcohol content will vary. But here too, no one is stopping you. You can feel like a real magician. You can add almost anything to the cherry jam: from your own moonshine, vodka, wine, martini, cognac, whiskey and a lot of what you have in your cupboard.
If you use cherry "wisely", then cherry is a very useful plant. There are many trace elements that have a beneficial effect on the human body. Starting from the benefits for the heart, the gastrointestinal tract and ending with male power. By the way, during the wedding, it was cherry that was poured for the newlyweds.

I would also like to add that sour cherries taste great with ice cream, cakes, and go great with meat and poultry.

If after reading all this you have a desire to try cherry jam, but you simply do not have time for all these manipulations. You can always order Proskurivka cherry jam, it is absolutely high-quality cherry jam according to the standards of DSTU 6036:2008.

We will always be happy to help you. Vishnyak Proskurivka is a completely small craft production, the main value of which is quality.