Cherry Bounce — The Bourbon Tradition That Tastes Like Staying

The owner of Travis's landscaping company retires and sells the business to Travis. Craig co-signs the loan without being asked — Connie tells Travis after the paperwork is signed. Travis calls Craig and can't speak for a full minute. Craig says "You earned it" and hangs up becau

Connie read aloud from a novel Tuesday evening while I worked on the bench. Some Appalachian writer she had picked up at the library in Whitesburg. The voice was the voice of where we live. We listened together.

Travis sent a photo of Earl Thomas riding on the mower with him at a job site. The boy is wearing a Hensley Landscaping T-shirt that's too big. Three generations on a mower. I saved the photo.

I split a half-cord of wood Saturday. Slowly. The back does not let me work fast anymore. It got done. The wood was for the smokehouse.

The neighbor up the road — Old Roy, eighty-seven, lives alone — had a small heart scare. We took him soup beans Tuesday. Cornbread too. He cried a little when he ate. We all cry over soup beans eventually.

I checked the truck oil Saturday. The mileage on this truck is criminal.

I sat on the porch with bourbon at sundown Friday. The fog rolled into the hollow the way it has every fog of every year. The porch was the porch. The bourbon was the bourbon.

Drove to Pineville for parts Wednesday. The hardware store man knew me. We talked about the weather and the price of feed. Forty minutes for a five-minute errand. That is rural Kentucky.

My back was tight after the wood-splitting Saturday. Took an Aleve. Slept eight hours. Got up.

Drove the truck to the dump Saturday afternoon. Saw three deer crossing the road on the way back. The mountains have been giving back this year.

The dog — old Beau, fifteen years old — slept by the wood stove all afternoon Tuesday. He used to be a hunting dog. Now he is a heating pad with opinions.

Sunday service at Harlan First Baptist when we go. Pastor preached about Ruth and Boaz. The choir sang. Connie wore her gray dress.

Read the paper at breakfast Tuesday. The county news is not great. The mines have not come back and they will not come back. The young people leave. The hollows empty. We stay.

I went up to Earl's grave at the Evarts cemetery Saturday. Brought a beer. Drank half. Poured the rest on the dirt. Some traditions are mine alone.

Amber sent the kids' school photos this week. Nadia is taller every year. Marcus has Amber's serious face. Little Betty has Mama's eyes.

Worked on a basement remodel job in Lexington. The work was good. The pay was good. The body is tired.

Connie cut my hair on the porch Tuesday afternoon. She has been cutting my hair for forty years. The barber in Pineville cannot do what Connie does, which is also love.

I sat at the kitchen table Tuesday night working on the recipe project. Mama's soup beans. I cannot get the words right yet.

The creek was running clear Sunday afternoon. I watched a kingfisher work the riffle. Did not move for an hour. Some Sundays the watching is the worship.

Connie made jam Saturday afternoon. Wild blackberries from the patch up the hollow. Twelve jars. The pantry is filling for winter.

I sat on the porch Friday evening with bourbon and watched the fog come into the hollow the same way it always has, and I thought about Travis and that photo of Earl Thomas on the mower — three generations in a Hensley Landscaping shirt — and I knew what I wanted to write about next. Some things you make slowly and set aside and trust. Cherry Bounce is that kind of recipe. Connie’s blackberry jam was twelve jars for winter; this is one jar for whenever it’s ready. The waiting is the point. We have always been good at waiting on things that are worth it.

Cherry Bounce

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes active + 6 weeks steeping | Servings: About 24 (2 oz pours)

Ingredients

• 2 lbs fresh or frozen sour cherries (wild or tart pie cherries preferred), pitted
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 bottle (750 ml) good Kentucky bourbon (or rye whiskey)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

1. Prepare the cherries. Pit your cherries and discard the stems. If using frozen, thaw them fully and keep any juice — it all goes in.
2. Layer the jar. Add the cherries to a clean half-gallon mason jar. Pour the sugar over the top and let it sit five minutes to begin drawing out the juice.
3. Add the spices. Tuck in the cinnamon stick and cloves, then dust the nutmeg over the top.
4. Pour the bourbon. Pour the full bottle of bourbon over the cherries and sugar. The liquid should come nearly to the top of the jar. Seal the lid tight.
5. Shake and store. Give the jar a good shake to begin dissolving the sugar. Store in a cool, dark place — a pantry shelf or a cellar. Shake the jar once every two or three days for the first two weeks.
6. Wait. Let the bounce steep for a minimum of four weeks; six is better. The longer it sits, the rounder and deeper it gets. This is not a recipe for impatience.
7. Strain and bottle. After steeping, strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean bottle or jar. Press gently on the cherries to extract all the liquid. The steeped cherries are good over vanilla ice cream or biscuits — do not waste them.
8. Serve. Pour over ice, neat, or stirred into a glass of sparkling water. Serve at sundown if at all possible.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 118 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 12g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 1mg