Russian Cherry Cordial - Vishynyovka

I adore cherries: their beautiful color in varying shades of red, their juiciness, their sweet or sour flavor, and even their pits for the simple joy of spitting out a mouthful as far as I can project them. In fact, it is cherries amongst all fruit that hold a vivid childhood memory in my heart.

In the middle of summer, once cherries came into season, my Papa would buy 10 pounds of cherries, sometimes more, to concoct his special cherry cordial. He’d get his glass jars and their stands ready for the ritual and I’d watch, fascinated. The French too have their version of cherry liqueur called cerises a l’eau de-vie, but it is the Russian version, called “vishynyovka” that I have an affinity for. Polish people also have a similar version and the Finns make a version of cherry wine known as Kijafa.

The key to this beverage is the fermentation of the “vishyny” or cherries over a period of three weeks in a warm place. Hence the name and in Papa’s and my case that place happened to be the warm, uninsulated attic of our small brick home in northern New Jersey.

The type of cherry used also plays a factor in the process: the more sour the cherry, the better the flavor of the cordial develops. The morello cherry is perfectly sour enough to fit the bill, but substitutions of other cherries work too.

Here is an easy recipe for “vishynyovka”:

3 pounds cherries, the more sour the better
5 cups sugar or honey if desired
1 pint good vodka

1. Wash and stalk the cherries. Papa did not pit the cherries, but if you’d prefer a bit more work, certainly do pit them.
2. Place the cherries and sugar in alternate layers in either a glass or ceramic jar or vessel. End with a layer of sugar.
3. Cover the jar with muslin or cheesecloth. Allow to ferment in a warm place for three weeks.
4. When the fermentation is complete, add the vodka, seal the jars or cork the vessels and leave for a month or longer.
5. Next, strain only the liquid into bottles and seal. Allow the cordial to develop its full flavor for nine months.

Please note: in Russia and the Ukraine, the vishynyovka is sometimes even buried in the ground. Be sure to remember where you buried it so that you can enjoy it.

By all means, do not waste the cherries! They can be dipped in sugar and eaten with tea. The vishynyovka is worth the wait. Aren’t all good things in life?