Sour Cherry Infused Vodka

Yesterday Maryanne and I were planning to finally get back to making cheese. We took a class at The Rosemary House a few years ago, but then family situations came up that made us put away our cultures and cheesecloth. So a couple of friends came over to help. One of them, Mary, said, "You have some interesting project going every day!" I never really thought about it, but it does seem that most days there is something fun to do. Today it was the sour cherries.
Last year I stumbled across some sour cherries at the Lancaster Central Market, and having recently read about the possible effects of sour cherry juice on arthritis and achy joints, I decided to make a tincture. So began my journey into the joys of fruit infused vodka (or alcohol of your choice).It was just going to be a tincture - pure and simple - but then things took a turn. I purchased 2 pounds of the cherries and pitted them before putting them into a large jar and covering them with vodka. 6 months later, it was about ready but my sister suggested adding a vanilla bean for another month or so. There was only about a quart when it was all said and done, and we've sipped it on occasion, wishing there was more.
This year I got 5 pounds of cherries, and may go back.
In the meantime, I've really been enjoying this form of "tincturing" . The other day someone on a forum suggested lavender liqueur, so I infused 2 heaping tablespoons of fresh Hidcote blossoms in a pint of vodka overnight. Into that pint, I also added a couple of tablespoons of sugar. The next afternoon, I tasted it, and the lavender flavor was distinct, but not overpowering. Time to strain it out. I zested a lemon into the jar and gave the lemon a healthy squeeze, and returned the lavender infused vodka to the jar. The hope is that it will taste something like lavender lemonade when it is finished in a couple of months. By the way, these infusions REALLY get mellow the longer you can manage to let them sit.
There are several pints of strawberry infused vodka out there, and one of blueberry. I'm going to be going into the woods for wild black raspberries in the next couple of days :-).
You don't need to use vodka, necessarily. Rum would be great, and some people prefer whiskey. I have a couple of things soaking in brandy, too.
Last year I spent a lot of time making herbal tinctures. I suppose this is the year of the fruit infused vodka!