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    Home » Pickles, Preserves, Etc

    Lewis and Clark Wild Cherry Whiskey

    Published: Mar 28, 2021 Modified: Feb 14, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links 14 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Whiskey infused with wild black cherries (Prunus serotina) is one of the best alcohol infusions I’ve made. To sweeten the deal, not only does it taste stronger than any cherry flavored booze I've had, but it’s inspired by an actual, documented experience that happened, oh, 200 years ago.

    A glass of red whiskey infused with cherries

    I’m a sucker for a good for a good audio book, and this year I managed to listen through the Journals of Lewis and Clarke about 3 times through.

    Chokecherries, Prunus virginiana
    Chokecherries (Prunus virginiana).

    The first time I listened to the whole journal, I was just enjoying the scenery, so to speak. The second time, I started taking notes. There’s a lot of stuff in the journals, interesting accounts, fascinating descriptions, especially when Lewis’s prose is concerned, but the things I hungered for (and feverishly re-winded to jot down) were the nuggets of culinary gold sprinkled throughout.

    Wild cherry infused whiskey

    Sometimes the references are long descriptions, like the extensive visceral account of the raw communal consumption of an elk by the party along with members of Shoshone tribe, others are brief and to the point, like cherry whiskey.

    Wild cherry infused whiskey

    Somewhere in Chapter 3 

    The passage in question comes from chapter 3. It's actually not from Lewis and Clark, but from one of the other men, Whitehouse, who has some comical observations over the course of the journey. 

    Thursday 19th    Got on under way    the Morning was Clear    passd. 4 Islands to our Stabourd    as we came along Shore there was two large Cat fish had hold of Each other Could not get off    one of the french men Shot the two the first Shot. On the W. Shore at Butter run, the men pulld a Great Quantity of wild Cherrys    put them in the Barrel of whisky.    Roed. 12 Miles    Campd. on an Island neer the River Calld. the Crying Water—

    See the full entry, and others at the Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 

    Wild black cherries or Prunus serotina
    A decent hour of picking Prunus serotina.

    I know I get excited when I find a tree bursting with fruit, but I can only imagine what it would have been like back then. When you think about it, preserving cherries by tossing them in with the whiskey is pure genius, but especially in a situation where the men were moving over the countryside and didn’t have time to process and dehydrate the fruit, a common Native American practice still used to this day by some of my friends to make wojape, a sort of sauce usually made from chokecherries.

    Wild black cherries, Prunus serotina
    Wild black cherries.

    Alcohol naturally preserves the fruit, but more importantly, the cherries imbue their juice and aroma to the whiskey. Over time (you want a good month or two) the color and aroma of the whisky will change, and by the end of the maceration, it becomes a sort of cherry-whiskey concentrate. Brandied cherries would probably have been more common at the time, and the use of cherries in alcohol is evident in things like cherry bounce, which was enjoyed by George Washington. 

    Wild black cherries or Prunus serotina wild cherry

    How much cherries vs whiskey?

    My cherry whisky is a little different than the explorers would have been. The explorers were lugging barrels of whiskey, so I’d assume they just tossed what they gathered into the barrels.

    The cherries have such a good, alcohol-soluble flavor that just a few handfuls of fresh fruit tossed into the alcohol would have given the barrel a good flavor. But, for my black cherry whiskey, since I had the option, I went all out with equal parts whisky and black cherries by volume.

    Wild black cherries, Prunus serotina
    A close up of the wild black cherries.

    Cherry Cough Syrup for Adults

    The finished product is much different than something like cassis, which includes sugar. It's hard to describe, but it tastes eerily like the good part of cherry cough syrup I remember having as a kid.

    Unlike cough syrup, this is one "robodrink" (a reference to consuming Robitussin as a narcotic) I can feel good about enjoying. Here’s a few things where it would be good.

    Use Ideas 

    • Add maple syrup or other sugar to taste and it's essentially cassis made from whiskey. 
    • Use it to make something like wild cherry bounce from my friend Ellen Zachos.
    • Pan sauce
      Use it to deglaze a pan that you cooked duck or chicken breast, thighs, etc. Sweat a little chopped shallot in the drippings, add the whisky, then a glug of stock, reducing, whisking in a knob of butter until thick. A spoonful of cherry jam or jelly will improve it, as will a shot of vinegar infused with cherries as I outlined in this post.
    • Use it to flavor a dessert where spirits are used, a la cherry rum baba. Or cherries jubilee. 
    • Mix it in the rocks with soda and simple syrup, or, even better, my cherry gastrique here using black cherries or chokecherries.
    • The infused whiskey is so strong that you can use it like an extract, mixing it with others liquors for what’s known as a “compound liquor”. For example, start mixing the cherry whisky with 1:4 parts dry white wine, adding cherry gastrique, or some burnt sugar for sweetness, along with a vanilla bean and a few peels or orange rind.
    • Add a splash to fruit based desserts, like a pan of cooked fruit, especially apples, or apple crisp.
    Wild cherry infused whiskey
    Wild cherry infused whiskey
    Print Recipe
    5 from 3 votes

    Wild Cherry Whiskey

    Whiskey infused with wild cherries inspired by the Journals of Lewis and Clark
    Prep Time5 mins
    Maceration Time90 d
    Total Time90 d 5 mins
    Course: Condiment, Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Wild Cherries
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 230kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • 1 1.5 quart mason jar or similar

    Ingredients

    • 1.5 lbs wild cherries such as black cherries or chokecherries*
    • 750 ML bottle whiskey you would normally drink

    Instructions

    • Combine the cherries and whiskey and allow to macerate for at least 2 months, 3 would be better.
    • When it’s time to strain them, allow the cherries to drain in cheesecloth without pressing on them which would make the final product cloudy.
    • When the mixture is strained, save the cherries for dehydrating and grinding into flour, or discard. Bottle and store the whiskey in a cool dry place.

    Notes

    If you don't have a scale for weighing cherries, don't worry. All you're doing here is covering the cherries completely with whiskey, for example, you could also fill a quart mason jar nearly to the top with berries, then just fill the bottle with whiskey to cover. Easy.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 4oz | Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 44IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.3mg
    Lewis and clark recipe, wild cherry whiskey
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Laura Rogers

      August 29, 2021 at 12:38 pm

      Should mason jars be covered with their lids throughout the process? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        August 29, 2021 at 12:38 pm

        Yes, always unless specified.

        Reply
    2. Sean

      September 16, 2021 at 6:14 am

      Is there any risk of the toxin (amygdalin) from the outs leeching into the whiskey?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        September 16, 2021 at 8:56 am

        Sean, amygdalin is concentrated in the stones. As long as you don't crush the cherries and then infuse them, you're fine. In my book I actually detail a method of extracting cherry and almond flavor into an extract for cooking, similar to the French Noyeaux, which is made with roasted stones of various Prunus.

        Reply
    3. Jennifer Ferris

      October 01, 2021 at 9:44 am

      5 stars
      I did this with Vodka (2 750 ml bottles worth) and just sieved out the cherries. Its a gorgeous deep ruby red (my wild cherries are more red, than black here)
      And I just reloaded with the last batch of cherries in a rum jug (why not)
      But I didn't think of whisky!

      Can you do anything with the berries, after they are liberally soused by the booze?
      Love your site and insights!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        October 01, 2021 at 9:49 am

        Jennifer, yes, if you have my book, there is a recipe that calls specifically for dried cherries, an incredible Russian cake. I have made is successfully with boozed cherries-post infusion.

        Reply
    4. Missy Mayclin Murphy

      February 18, 2022 at 3:48 pm

      General Clark was my grandpa !!! I’d like to have some of this ! I would have loved to meet him.

      Reply
    5. Julie Rocco

      April 17, 2022 at 11:50 pm

      My grandfather made this wild cherry whiskey in South Jersey .... that was 50 years ago. I have been stingy with the last little bit of it (a shot or two) since my mother (his daughter) passed. Where would I get choke cherries? I must learn and carry on his tradition. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        April 18, 2022 at 3:50 pm

        Julie, you're going to have a couple different species of wild cherry near you. Look for black cherries (Prunus serotina)-they should be more common near you, but I've never been to NJ so I'm speculating a bit.

        Reply
        • Julie

          June 22, 2022 at 7:57 pm

          Thanks Alan. I appreciate your pointers.

          Reply
    6. Brian

      July 09, 2022 at 3:04 pm

      Should I remove the pits first?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        July 14, 2022 at 8:13 pm

        No, proceed as directed.

        Reply
    7. Dave

      September 05, 2022 at 9:36 am

      Thanks for the recipe! I’m making it now and am going back to forage more, to share with friends. I have a friend who will not let go of the idea that this will be a poisonous drink because I’m leaving the pits intact.
      What explanation can I give to convince him it’s a safe drink ?
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        September 06, 2022 at 11:49 am

        Dave, the pits aren't exposed to alcohol-only the flesh. if you ground them fresh and soaked them in booze, then drank a few cups of 80 proof alcohol you might have an issue. Drying and cooking denatures the amygdalin/problem compound. You can dry the cherries as I describe in my bird cherry cake and in my book, and then add them to liquor and they'll give it a cherry-almond combo flavor. This is very safe.

        Reply

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