Several years ago I made limoncello from Meyer lemons that I grew myself on an indoor tree. It was delicious and special since I grew my own lemons. It made a great holiday gift for friends who I knew would enjoy the digestive. I’ve also made Cherry Bounce and Pomegranate Pizzaz.
When we were in Buffalo New York in March we went to Premier Wine and Spirits – a huge store filled with products from all over the world as well as local concoctions. There, I bought a small bottle of Limoncello imported from Italy. When my oldest son and his Aunt were there this past January, they bought some to drink in the evenings as well as having it at least once while they were out. We sipped a limoncello from the bottle I bought earlier this month on Mother’s Day weekend. Surprisingly, I think my homemade cordial was as tasty as the real Italian version! I was pleasantly surprised.
Alas, I do not have any Meyer lemons growing now. I really would like a tree again and perhaps will look for one after our move next month. I loved watching the lemons grow in our northern climate!
In replacement, I found some Montmorency Cherries grown and picked from our own trees in the chest freezer as I was cleaning it out over the weekend. What luck that I found exactly the amount I need to make a full recipe of Cherry Bounce! The recipe I use is from a Door County establishment called Lautenbach’s Orchard Country (clickable link). Even if you know very little about Wisconsin, you might know that Door County (the “thumb” of Wisconsin that sticks out into Lake Michigan) has great sour cherry orchards!
When we planted our fruit tree orchard in 2007, we were sure to include several varieties of cherry trees, including Montmorency and Meteor. These trees gave us years of enjoyment and we were sad when we had to remove them this spring due to disease. We’ll miss our fruit orchard when we move (there are still plum, pear, and apple trees left) to our cabin in June.
But, back to the Cherry Bounce – all I need to complete the recipe is a quart of vodka. This is a spirit we tend to not keep on hand, so I’ll have to get some. But, with about 5 weeks left before we move, there is just enough time to whip up a back of the deep red cordial and bottle it for later gifting. It’ll be a fitting end to years of having an orchard in our yard!
Cheers!
Ciao! Mangia bene!
The Apples in My Orchard 