I just filtered some cherry-almond liqueur I'd been steeping for the
holidays, and I realized today that it tastes like cough syrup. I'd
used vodka, sugar syrup, fresh cherries, and a little bit of almond
oil. Is there anything I can to cut the medicinal taste, like add
brandy, or is it too late?

If it comes down to it, I can palm it off at the office Christmas
party...any thoughts on what mixers to add to make it palatable? I
guess I could add cider + seltzer for a start...

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I just filtered some cherry-almond liqueur I'd been steeping for the
> holidays, and I realized today that it tastes like cough syrup. I'd
> used vodka, sugar syrup, fresh cherries, and a little bit of almond
> oil. Is there anything I can to cut the medicinal taste, like add
> brandy, or is it too late?
>
> If it comes down to it, I can palm it off at the office Christmas
> party...any thoughts on what mixers to add to make it palatable? I
> guess I could add cider + seltzer for a start...

Ask on rec.crafts.winemaking

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I just filtered some cherry-almond liqueur I'd been steeping for the
> holidays, and I realized today that it tastes like cough syrup. I'd
> used vodka, sugar syrup, fresh cherries, and a little bit of almond
> oil. Is there anything I can to cut the medicinal taste, like add
> brandy, or is it too late?
>
> If it comes down to it, I can palm it off at the office Christmas
> party...any thoughts on what mixers to add to make it palatable? I
> guess I could add cider + seltzer for a start...

Ask on rec.crafts.winemaking

wrote:

> I just filtered some cherry-almond liqueur I'd been steeping for
> the holidays, and I realized today that it tastes like cough syrup.
> I'd used vodka, sugar syrup, fresh cherries, and a little bit of
> almond oil. Is there anything I can to cut the medicinal taste,
> like add brandy, or is it too late?

I don't know, but you might try a very tiny amount of vanilla.
Of course, test it on a sample before throwing it in the full
batch. If upon tasting you can recognize that there's vanilla
in there, you used too much.

Another thought is you might pour it into a pan and reduce
it a little. The objectionable flavor might be more volatile
than the flavors you want to keep.

Another thought is, what do you suppose cough syrup
really is? If I pureed some apples and my objection
was that the resulting product tasted like applesauce,
what solutions could I expect people to suggest?

wrote:

> I just filtered some cherry-almond liqueur I'd been steeping for the
> holidays, and I realized today that it tastes like cough syrup. I'd
> used vodka, sugar syrup, fresh cherries, and a little bit of almond
> oil. Is there anything I can to cut the medicinal taste, like add
> brandy, or is it too late?

You can probably add more alcohol to it. Cherry hooch can be pretty
good, but some of the commercial varieties are too sweet, and sometimes
seem to use some sort of artificial flavour that make it similar to
cough syryp.

I don't know about the almond oil. Almond is usually a pretty good
compliment to cherries, especially sour cherries, but I wouldn't want to
spoil a good cherry flavour with something that might be overpowering
unless I was absolutely certain of the quantity used. A recent batch of
Empire cookies had one drop too much of almond extract and it resulted
in a little too much almond flavour for my liking.


I got a chuckle out of my brother a few months ago when we tried my
latest batch of raspberry hooch and found it too sweet. It was also a
little too heavy on the raspberry taste. I said that I was going to
water it down, and proceeded to thin it out with Alcool.

> if it comes down to it, I can palm it off at the office Christmas
> party...any thoughts on what mixers to add to make it palatable? I
> guess I could add cider + seltzer for a start...

Cherry Coke :-)

wrote:

> I just filtered some cherry-almond liqueur I'd been steeping for the
> holidays, and I realized today that it tastes like cough syrup. I'd
> used vodka, sugar syrup, fresh cherries, and a little bit of almond
> oil. Is there anything I can to cut the medicinal taste, like add
> brandy, or is it too late?

You can probably add more alcohol to it. Cherry hooch can be pretty
good, but some of the commercial varieties are too sweet, and sometimes
seem to use some sort of artificial flavour that make it similar to
cough syryp.

I don't know about the almond oil. Almond is usually a pretty good
compliment to cherries, especially sour cherries, but I wouldn't want to
spoil a good cherry flavour with something that might be overpowering
unless I was absolutely certain of the quantity used. A recent batch of
Empire cookies had one drop too much of almond extract and it resulted
in a little too much almond flavour for my liking.


I got a chuckle out of my brother a few months ago when we tried my
latest batch of raspberry hooch and found it too sweet. It was also a
little too heavy on the raspberry taste. I said that I was going to
water it down, and proceeded to thin it out with Alcool.

> if it comes down to it, I can palm it off at the office Christmas
> party...any thoughts on what mixers to add to make it palatable? I
> guess I could add cider + seltzer for a start...

Cherry Coke :-)

>I just filtered some cherry-almond liqueur I'd been steeping for the
>holidays, and I realized today that it tastes like cough syrup. I'd
>used vodka, sugar syrup, fresh cherries, and a little bit of almond
>oil. Is there anything I can to cut the medicinal taste, like add
>brandy, or is it too late?

Well next time you have to take cough syrup you can tell yourself it tastes
just like cherry almond liqueur. Actually my first thought was it sounds like
it's too sweet or maybe you put in too much almond oil. Most oils are pretty
potent.
Where did you get the recipe? There's several recipes at liqueurweb.com

>I just filtered some cherry-almond liqueur I'd been steeping for the
>holidays, and I realized today that it tastes like cough syrup. I'd
>used vodka, sugar syrup, fresh cherries, and a little bit of almond
>oil. Is there anything I can to cut the medicinal taste, like add
>brandy, or is it too late?

Well next time you have to take cough syrup you can tell yourself it tastes
just like cherry almond liqueur. Actually my first thought was it sounds like
it's too sweet or maybe you put in too much almond oil. Most oils are pretty
potent.
Where did you get the recipe? There's several recipes at liqueurweb.com

>archer1267 writes:
>
>I just filtered some cherry-almond liqueur I'd been steeping for the
>holidays, and I realized today that it tastes like cough syrup. I'd
>used vodka, sugar syrup, fresh cherries, and a little bit of almond
>oil. Is there anything I can to cut the medicinal taste, like add
>brandy, or is it too late?
>
>If it comes down to it, I can palm it off at the office Christmas
>party...any thoughts on what mixers to add to make it palatable? I
>guess I could add cider + seltzer for a start...

Why did you use "almond oil", and where did you get it... pharmacy? Most
likely what you used wasn't almond oil at all, it was most likely an extract of
peach nut meats (same family (prunus). You don't say the ratio of said almond
oil used... unless you know some AA drop out who'll drink any rot gut you may
need to dump it. Try mixing a small amount (1oz) with a couple teaspoons
sugar... that may make it palatable and then you can use it to bake, almond
cookies, etc.


---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````

>archer1267 writes:
>
>I just filtered some cherry-almond liqueur I'd been steeping for the
>holidays, and I realized today that it tastes like cough syrup. I'd
>used vodka, sugar syrup, fresh cherries, and a little bit of almond
>oil. Is there anything I can to cut the medicinal taste, like add
>brandy, or is it too late?
>
>If it comes down to it, I can palm it off at the office Christmas
>party...any thoughts on what mixers to add to make it palatable? I
>guess I could add cider + seltzer for a start...

Why did you use "almond oil", and where did you get it... pharmacy? Most
likely what you used wasn't almond oil at all, it was most likely an extract of
peach nut meats (same family (prunus). You don't say the ratio of said almond
oil used... unless you know some AA drop out who'll drink any rot gut you may
need to dump it. Try mixing a small amount (1oz) with a couple teaspoons
sugar... that may make it palatable and then you can use it to bake, almond
cookies, etc.


---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````

Cherry Liqueur
Yield: about 1 quart

1 1/2 pounds red cherries, with pits, no stems
1 1/2 cups sugar, (up to 2 cups), sweeten to taste
2 1/2 cups vodka
1 cup brandy

Mix vodka, brandy and sugar in a large glass measure or medium
mixing bowl; stir well to dissolve. Cut each washed cherry slightly
to open, leave in pits. Place cherries in two sterile, quart wide
mouth jars or one larger aging container. Pour liquid mixture over
cherries; stir and cap with tight lids. For the first two weeks,
shake jars several times. Let age in a cool, dark place for at
least 3 months for best flavor. Strain off liqueur through a wire
mesh strainer and discard cherries. Rebottle as desired. Liqueur
is ready in 3 months.

VARIATIONS:

Almond-Cherry Liqueur: For a more prominent "almond" flavor, pit
all or part of the cherries. Place cherry pits in a clean cloth
and hit with a hammer to break them up slightly. Put broken pits
and pitted cherries in jars or large container and continue as
directed.

Sugarless Cherry Liqueur: Substitute 1 cup apple juice concentrate,
undiluted, for the sugar in the Cherry Liqueur recipe. Proceed as
directed. The "sugars" present will be natural fruit sugars rather
than the granulated processed sugars. Taste is excellent; aging is
the same.

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> I just filtered some cherry-almond liqueur I'd been steeping for the
> holidays, and I realized today that it tastes like cough syrup. I'd
> used vodka, sugar syrup, fresh cherries, and a little bit of almond
> oil. Is there anything I can to cut the medicinal taste, like add
> brandy, or is it too late?
>
> If it comes down to it, I can palm it off at the office Christmas
> party...any thoughts on what mixers to add to make it palatable? I
> guess I could add cider + seltzer for a start...
>

Cherry Liqueur
Yield: about 1 quart

1 1/2 pounds red cherries, with pits, no stems
1 1/2 cups sugar, (up to 2 cups), sweeten to taste
2 1/2 cups vodka
1 cup brandy

Mix vodka, brandy and sugar in a large glass measure or medium
mixing bowl; stir well to dissolve. Cut each washed cherry slightly
to open, leave in pits. Place cherries in two sterile, quart wide
mouth jars or one larger aging container. Pour liquid mixture over
cherries; stir and cap with tight lids. For the first two weeks,
shake jars several times. Let age in a cool, dark place for at
least 3 months for best flavor. Strain off liqueur through a wire
mesh strainer and discard cherries. Rebottle as desired. Liqueur
is ready in 3 months.

VARIATIONS:

Almond-Cherry Liqueur: For a more prominent "almond" flavor, pit
all or part of the cherries. Place cherry pits in a clean cloth
and hit with a hammer to break them up slightly. Put broken pits
and pitted cherries in jars or large container and continue as
directed.

Sugarless Cherry Liqueur: Substitute 1 cup apple juice concentrate,
undiluted, for the sugar in the Cherry Liqueur recipe. Proceed as
directed. The "sugars" present will be natural fruit sugars rather
than the granulated processed sugars. Taste is excellent; aging is
the same.

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> I just filtered some cherry-almond liqueur I'd been steeping for the
> holidays, and I realized today that it tastes like cough syrup. I'd
> used vodka, sugar syrup, fresh cherries, and a little bit of almond
> oil. Is there anything I can to cut the medicinal taste, like add
> brandy, or is it too late?
>
> If it comes down to it, I can palm it off at the office Christmas
> party...any thoughts on what mixers to add to make it palatable? I
> guess I could add cider + seltzer for a start...
>