DIY Chokecherry Vodka

- DIY Gift Idea - For the past week the chokecherry trees around here have been in full swing, dropping berries everywhere. For those in the North East who also have trees about now is the time to pick as many as possible and turn them into rather delicious gifts. One way is similar to the mulberry vinegar switching those out for chokecherries. Something else that can be done is to steep these ripe, black chokecherries in vodka for some very unique cocktails. The flavor is very tart with a deep, fruity cherry and the color it turns the vodka is beautiful. The longer it sits, the deeper it gets. Here's how to do it too:
What You Will Need:
- Ripe chokecherries
- Vodka
- Glass container and funnel


How To Do It:
The steps are much the same for the mulberry vinegar only this time with chokecherries that have been rinsed off, the pits need to be removed. This is tedious because they're so tiny and the juice can make everything look like a crime scene but it's worth it.

Gently heat the vodka in the microwave for a few seconds and pour over the pitted chokecherries. Let this site and cool in a dark place for at least 2 weeks to a month and your wild crafted chokecherry vodka is ready to experiment with.

Chokecherry cosmo with blackberries.
For a how-to on making the above Chalkboard painted martini glass see here.

Image: mam for Gave That