This is not a project that you decide to undertake and a few hours later, you are finished. This project started in January and wrapped up last night. However the relative ease of turning citrus rinds and industrial strength liquor into a delicious homemade liqueur is amazing and the most important skill – patience – is something that I am working on.

Limoncello is usually all over Italian restaurants and we have had our fair share in that environment, but we first had really good limoncello on a trip to Italy when we visited the South where there are roadside stands with Citrus that is seemingly bigger than soccer balls. Continue reading »

There is plenty of time wasted each day looking at Twitter or other social media sites, but sometimes there is a big payoff. This is one of those times. Ellen Malloy, butcheress, founder of Restaurant Intelligence Agency, and font of energy, had tweeted about one of her creations that she refers to as a Canadian tradition. Rye Whiskey infused with Maple Syrup. Continue reading »

Homemade Cherry Bounce from 2007 Cherry Season

If you visit Door County, Wisconsin during the Thanksgiving time, one drink that you will likely find floating around in miscellaneous bottles is Cherry Bounce. Cherry Bounce is typically a homemade cordial. Depending on where you are from, the liquor could be brandy, cognac, bourbon, etc., but in Wisconsin, Brandy is king. Combine the liquor with the great cherries grown in Door County and a little time, you will be in business.

The drink, when aged, is really smooth and the tart cherry flavor really gets you without being a giant cherry bomb.  It was a really good pairing with goat cheese. I was surprised. It was terribly good with chocolate cake and separately with almond ice cream. I was not surprised.  My favorite version of this was one that instead of using only brandy, I combined brandy and bourbon in equal parts. Continue reading »