What exactly is a bounce? Rumor has it that cherry bounce was one of George Washington’s favorite tipples, and Martha’s recipe for the beverage survives to this day. In this foraged version, I’ve substituted chokecherries for cultivated cherries, and rye for the more traditional brandy. And while many bounce recipes are heavily spiced with cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, I’ve kept it simple with just three ingredients. Once you’ve made the base infusion, you can enjoy it any way you’d like: poured over a single large ice cube, sipped neat from a coupe, combined with a sploosh of seltzer, or garnished with a few Luxardo cherries. Any way you drink it, Chokecherry Bounce is an exceptional adult beverage.
What You’ll Need to Make Chokecherry Bounce:
- 3 cups chokecherries, de-stemmed
- 2 cups straight rye
- 1 cup sugar
What You’ll Do to Make Chokecherry Bounce:
Combine the chokecherries and sugar in a saucepan, and bring them to a simmer. Reduce the heat and keep the fruit just barely simmering, then allow it to cook for 20 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent scorching. Remove the fruit from the heat and allow it to cool.
Transfer the cooled fruit and all its accompanying juices into a half gallon jar, then add the rye whiskey. Cover the jar tightly and give it a good shake, then put it somewhere in your kitchen or pantry where you’ll see it often enough to shake the jar a few times/week, but not so often that you’ll be tempted to drink it prematurely.
Because here comes the hard part: wait three months before drinking your chokecherry bounce. This beverage needs time to fully develop its flavors. I admit, I opened my jar several times to smell the deliciousness, and I may have tested its progress with a sip or two, but please resist temptation to pour yourself a glass until the three months are up. It’s worth the wait.
I like my chokecherry bounce straight up, after a quick shake over ice, but if you prefer a lighter cocktail, top yours off with seltzer to taste.
Two or three Luxardo cherries is the perfect garnish, and now get ready for a brief rant. I highly encourage you to use Luxardo cherries, rather than the ridiculously artificial “maraschino” cherries most of us are familiar with. The bright red abominations I grew up with are NOT true marasca cherries. They are ordinary sweet cherries, bleached in sulfur dioxide and calcium chloride to remove all flavor and color, then soaked in artificial dyes, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial flavors. Sounds yummy, right? If you’re going to go to all the trouble of making your own chokecherry bounce, please don’t use the artificial cherries. And if you do, don’t tell me about it. End rant.
And cheers.
I’ve experienced Ellen’s chokecherry bounce and let me tell you it’s deeeeliscious! It has a gorgeous, dark flavor. It feels like tasty mischief, like something Puck might whip up. Definitely something to charm people with.
Tasty mischief! That might be the nicest cmpliment I (or my chokecherry bounce) have ever gotten. Thanks, Mark.
Would any other berries work combined with whiskey? It looks wonderful!
I’m sure you could experiment with other berry/booze combinations, depending on what you find locally and what flavors you prefer. I also like bluberries with rum, and apricots with bourbon.
I grow raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, ground cherries, elderberry and quince. I will try combinations! Thanks, Ellen, for those ideas.
Oh you’re going to have fun playing with those! Just bear in mind that with the sweeter fruits, you’ll need less sugar, and with some (like quince) you’ll need a little more. You can taste after a few months and see how it goes. And don’t throw the fruit away when you’re done. The boozy pulp makes some interesting jams and jellies. (If you’re into that!)
I do make jams and will try that. Thanks.
Ellen, This sounds delicious! My father used to make something similar with chokecherries but with dark rum instead of rye. Why did you chose rye? Was it the special flavor of the rye? Also what are Luxardo cherries and where would I find them besides Amazon? I’d love to taste them! Betsy
Hi Betsy, You can make bounces with rum, brandy, or whisky. I chose rye because I really like the flavor and I think the spiciness balances well with the sweetness of the chokecherry fruit. As for Luxardo cherries…once you taste them you’ll never be able to enjoy any other kind! I find them at my local liquor store, but they’re pretty high end. A jar of them costs about the same as a bottle of rye. Pre-pandemic they were about $17. Not sure what they’d be now.
How do you think a beach plum bounce would be? Or silver berry? Which alcohol would be most suited? And it all gets strained after 3 months? Thanks!
I’ve made a beach plum gin which I liked, but it reminded my husband of Doctor Pepper, so take that with a grain of salt. I’ve also done silverberry with gin which I liked very much. I don’t think silverberry would stand up to any of the traditional “bounce” spirits (rum, brandy, whisky) but I think beach plum would. Just pick the one you like best. And yes, 3 months, just like the recipe says.
3 months are up just in time for Christmas party season! Omg so yummy
Wondering if a secondary soak would yield a second batch? Too late this year as berries have left the building but maybe will try that next year?
Please let me know if you try a second round next year!
Assume cooking the chokecherries and sugar removes toxins from pits. After setting for 3 months does it clear or is straining needed. Ron
The toxins inside the pits are only released if the pit’s shell is broken, so there’s no need to worry about them in this recipe. It’s perfectly safe to infuse whole chokecherries in liquid, no cooking required.