Break Out the Cherry Bounce

Break Out the Cherry Bounce
The tart Montmorency cherries grown in Door County, Wis., have become central to the region's reputation—and myriad sweets and other foodstuffs.Gedeminas777/Shutterstock
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It’s bounce season in Wisconsin. No, not the jump-around tradition at a Wisconsin Badgers football game. Here, we’re talking about cherry bounce: hard liquor, often brandy, with a load of fresh cherries soaking in it.

Bounce is a strong tradition in parts of Wisconsin, particularly the Door Peninsula, that thumb that juts out into Lake Michigan. It may surprise some that the cheese and beer state produces about 10 percent of the nation’s cherry harvest, but this homemade cordial celebrates it when the end-of-the-year holidays arrive.

This Is Cherry Country

Door County is ideal for such a fruit tree. Lake Michigan provides stability in temperature throughout the year—never too hot, nor too cold—and while the shallow, alkaline soil with broken limestone underneath doesn’t do much for traditional crops, it’s ideal for fruit trees.
Kevin Revolinski
Kevin Revolinski
Author
Kevin Revolinski is an avid traveler, craft beer enthusiast, and home-cooking fan. He is the author of 15 books, including “The Yogurt Man Cometh: Tales of an American Teacher in Turkey” and his new collection of short stories, “Stealing Away.” He’s based in Madison, Wis., and his website is TheMadTraveler.com
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