Remember last summer, when the sun was warm and the cherries were abundant?
And I scavenged cherries to make cherry pies and cherry liqueur?
Well, Christmas has come, and the liqueur is ripe … and so is the time for giving.
In all honesty, we cracked open one jar of Cherry Bounce as soon as its ripening time had passed. We enjoyed it — sweet, with all the red color the alcohol robbed from the cherries, and oh-so-alcoholic! (I suppose adding sugar and sugary fruit to hard liquor and allowing it to steep will do that.)
For Christmas, I wanted to give some of the liqueur away. It took me a bit to think of how to package it. Then, on a road trip to Taos in October, Little Cheap and I indulged in some Lipton bottled tea. The bottles were made of glass, and I thought they could be reused. I removed the labels, but the bottles were very plain. Then I remembered a knitted beer bottle cozy I saw years ago in a now-defunct magazine called Budget Living. Could I recreate such a thing? Yes, I could:
I reviewed some online patterns and then invented my own cherry chart — something I’ve never done before. My idea is that the cozy can be used for a coffee cozy (or a beer cozy!) after the liqueur is gone. The sleeve simply slips onto and off of the bottle.
Merry Christmas to all — and be cautious with those drinks, folks — I could feel a slight buzz almost immediately. Or perhaps it was the faint recollection of the bees in the trees …
Thanks for the reminder! I made several quarts of cherry bounce myself this summer and tucked it away on a hidden shelf in the basement to keep it safe from rampaging felines. Looks like I know what I’ll be taking to a New Year’s eve party (one all the guests will be leaving their keys in the bowl and sleeping on site!).
Knitted covers seem to be quite the thing. I’ve seen some designed for wine bottles and french presses.
Those are adorable (and your site is so fun!). Thanks for sharing…
Oh, I’m so glad it came out good! I just strained and sweetened some orange-vanilla liqueur yesterday. It was divine added to hot cocoa.
Whoo-wee that stuff is tasty (and you can hardly taste the alcohol). Mmm. It’s good to be related to you for this kind of extra perk! and reusable perks, too.
Thanks for sharing it!
I just found your site, so I’m not sure where you live, but you should check to see if High Bush Cranberry – Viburnum grows in your region. Most people don’t bother with this fruit because it is so tart and because it is full of large seeds but there are some great drink concoction possibilities and it is easy to pick.
Oh, scratch that previous advice… apparently some species of that fruit are ‘mildly poisonous’ to humans. I grew up where generations of people had made compote from the berries in one spot.
@ Martin – thanks for double checking so we don’t poison ourselves! Back to the cherry tree, it seems …