Slow Cherry Cordial recipe from Virginia:use wild or our Hood River cherries

October 18, 1:54 PMPortland Food ExaminerMichelle Winner

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Portland Food Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

From the carriage, Jim explains Berkeley Plantation history.

MMWinner

I recently enjoyed an early autumn visit to Berkeley Plantation in Virginia  that included a guided tour of the ground floor rooms of the three story 1726 manor house and a walk through the gardens. But to bring this site to life for me and knowing I love horses, my friend Erin Bagnell  arranged a charming carriage ride with Mr. Jim Hundley

 Berkeley Plantation was the “site of the first distillation of bourbon whiskey, produced by missionary George Thorpe, who declared it ‘much better than British ale.’ The Georgian mansion is believed to be the oldest three-story brick house in Virginia. Berkeley became a focal point of economic, cultural and social life in colonial Virginia and host to more than 10 presidents, including George Washington.”  Berkeley is the birthplace of Benjamin Harrison, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, William Henry Harrison ( “Old Tippecanoe”), his son the ninth U.S. President, and a grandson, another Benjamin Harrison the 23rd U.S. president A- must- visit when you are in the Richmond area.

Let me share part of our ride with you. . .

“The sound of Mr. Hundley’s Post horn precedes our view of his wagonette break carriage pulled by two well-muscled grey cross-breds . When his team Hugs and Jack Frost and his elegant carriage come into view, they float steady down the long drive and arrive in front of the manor house. Erin and I climb in and settle on the softly worn leather seats. With a ‘walk on’ command Jim drives us away for an afternoon ride and picnic.

The horses pull us from Berkeley Plantation to adjacent Westover Plantation along the sliver of river road skirting the wide James under wild cherry and gum tree canopy. Lulled by the steady clip-clop of their hooves and the motion of the carriage, I’m pulled into the past realizing we are retracing a visit that has been repeated between neighbors countless times throughout the history of this special place.”

To be able to tour the landscape and feel it’s history, you simply must experience it from an antique carriage. 

Then offer a toast with Miss Porter’s Cherry Cordial, our  liqueur recipe for your table this season:

Miss Porter’s Slow Cherry Cordial
Abundant wild cherries in Virginia make this southern favorite a perfect Holiday gift!
 

• Place a gallon of washed cherries in a glass bowl or directly into a pottery crock with wooden lid.
• Add a bottle or two of good bourbon whiskey and completely cover the fruit. Rest the lid on top of the cherries keeping them in the soak and allow air to pass through. After six weeks, pour off the whisky and reserve both whiskey and cherries.
• Take your drunken cherries and place them in a large bowl. Gently mash them on the bottom and sides of the bowl. Do not crush the pits. Strain the mashed cherries through a soft, cotton flour sack or similar and add this cherry juice back into the to the whiskey or the bourbon. Discard the pits. Measure this cherry liquor accurately and record.
• In a large saucepan or bowl make a heavy syrup for the cordial by using this ratio:Mix until dissolved 1/2 cup of water to a pound of sugar for every 2 quarts of cherry liquor. Stir this sugar syrup into the liquor until blended. Decant the beverage in clean, clear glass bottles and cork.