Alie’s Magical Sour Cherry Liqueur Recipe

I met her when I was 16. She had a huge garden just beside my grandma’s backyard. At the beginning, when I was at the age of believing Harry Potter was real, my grandma was collecting me from her garden. Her name was Alie, and she was living with her older sister alone. It was magical to play in her greenhouse; she taught me about plants and flowers. She showed me how to make painkillers from some and how to brew some amusing teas from others. I grow flowers in my own garden now to prepare useful mixtures. Some flowers need special care, and most of the herbalists harvest them at the wrong time. Long story…

Today I’ll prepare a sour cherry liqueur that I learned from her! It will be a little tricky. I’ll infuse this mixture with a bit of luck, and when it’s time for the new year, we’ll open it with my family. Some of them like to make a wish; they call it “wish shot.” Anyway, do you want to prepare one too? Let’s begin…

From now on, you have to stay engaged with me until the end because it’s the only possible way to make it happen. The more people, the better!

If it's the middle of August, it’s time to harvest the last cherries from the tree. Alie invites you to a ceremony on the new moon, and she will want you to pick each one with your hands. That's when you start singing the song of the old ones, and you have to sing it until you finish the harvest.

In the heart of August, sour cherries gleam,

Harvest's treasures, like a dream.

Luck's power within them, magic's touch,

Four elements unite,

Each one gives power for much.

Earth lends strength to roots that spread,

Fire's warmth ripens fruit so red.

Water's flow, a gentle caress and life,

Air's whispers, secret words for luck.

Beneath the new moon's tender gaze,

Cherries' magic weaves its ways.

In the middle of August's night,

Their enchantment takes its flight.

Once we have our cherries, about 2 kg, we rinse them under cold water to cleanse them from dust and dirt. We need a 3-liter glass jar to prepare the mixture and a large black cover to shield it from the light. When we start to prepare our mixture, we have to keep singing, but before that, we need to prepare our ingredients. Half a handful of cloves, 5-6 kumquat kernels, 2-3 nutmegs, 1 kg of sugar, and 5-6 cinnamon sticks.

At this point, we need to smile and focus. We add two handfuls of cherries to the jar and cover them with sugar. Then we add a small amount of our ingredients, but we have to add them little by little. For every 2 handfuls of cherries we repeat our ingredients, and when the cherries are finished, the ingredients should be too.

Sing this poem with your own melody until the end and prepare the mixture with your own hands. When it’s done, seal the jar tightly and store it in the dark. Every evening until the next full moon, stir it once with a wooden spoon. When you open the jar, don’t forget to recite the poem. The cherries need to hear your song to foam. On the full moon add the vodka and stir one last time and seal the jar until winter.

In the middle of December, open the jar and strain it through muslin to bottle up the charm. On New Year's, recite the poem one last time and make your wish before you get drunk.

Well, it’s finished! Thank you all for joining. I’ve bottled up mine. Oh, and I thank Alie for sharing her secret with us.