Popular all over Eastern Europe, I’ve been served this liqueur as an after dinner drink in Polish restaurants. That happened recently on a trip to Lodz, on the very day that I had just purchased cherries from a vendor in the pedestrian underpass. At 6.5 zl per kilogram (about $1.10 per pound) I couldn’t pass them by. We ate the first kilogram, so I bought a second one to bring home and turn into Wisniak. I’m sure Ed could see the “I can make this” light bulb appear over my head as we sipped our cordials.
Similar in taste to our Cherry La La (which is ready in a week rather than months), Wisniak is fruity and very smooth – an ideal way to end a meal. I’ve been told that if you make Wisniak when cherries first come into season, it reaches perfection in time for the holidays and should be served with a honey cake. I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait that long.
This can be made with sweet or sour cherries, although officially with sour cherries this is called wisniowka. In either case, you may want to adjust the sugar according to your taste and the sweetness of your fruit.
Na zdrowie!
Lois
PS – Can I convince you to give this a try. It’s now December; I left my jars of Wisniak undisturbed for months and months. My patience has been rewarded! I just now strained out the cherries; the cherry liqueur left behind is dark, fruity, sweet, and smooth. I will make much more next summer when cherries are in season. It’s so wonderful, that I want to share it with everyone I know!
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Wisniak (Polish Sweet Cherry Liqueur)
- Prep Time: 90 min active, months passive
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
- Category: Liqueur
- Method: Infused
- Cuisine: Polish
Description
Homemade cherry infused vodka = heaven on earth
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 pounds pitted cherries
- 1 cup sugar (I used superfine sugar because I had some on hand)
- l liter vodka (4 – 5 cups, enough to fill container(s)
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in sterile containers. (I submerged the jars and lids in boiling water for 10 minutes.) The total volume of your container(s) should be half a gallon
- Shake or swirl daily until sugar has dissolved, it takes a few days
- Store the containers (in pantry or basement) for 4 to 6 weeks, strain and re-bottle
- Allow to age 2 to 4 months
Notes
I sometimes substitute brandy for a small portion of the vodka, maybe 1 cup. I just think brandy and cherries go so well together.
If you this with sour cherries, you have wisniowka!
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| Within hours, osmosis has begun |
An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com, she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.
Laura [Novelbite]
Yay for Polish Fridday! Double yay for BOOZY Polish Friday!
Laura [Novelbite]
Err, Friday, one d. I swear, I m not drinking Wisniak… (yet!).
Jean
I’m putting cherries on the grocery list and making this tomorrow! It sounds wonderful.
polishhousewife
It’s so much fun to pull this out of the cupboard and share it with friends. I think guests always feel honored when when you share homemade liqueurs. Come fall, I always wish I had made more! 😀
Barbara
I have everything mixed. Do I store in dark cool place until Christmas?
Diane
I’m so happy I came across this! My mom used to make this year’s back and I can’t wait to make some! I’m going to search for some great cherries tomorrow! I know I’m a little late but it doesn’t have to be ready for the Holidays!
Mom also made something weaker though too. I don’t think she used anything with alcohol in it, I’m assuming she just used water. It’s too late for me to ask her because she passed away (at almost 92) in March, almost 6 months ago. She called it “sok” and we would use it in our tea sometimes. Do you think you could help me with this?
Diane
You can delete this one and above. I didn’t get a chance to mark the box to notify me if there’s another comment!
Thanks!
polishhousewife
Hi Diane, sok means juice, but I wonder if what your mom made was kompot? It’s very popular. I’ve never made it, but this post from another blog talks about it. http://www.thekitchn.com/kompot-the-fruit-punch-of-eastern-europe-175659
Thanks for commenting. I’m glad we’ve connected!
Diane
I’m so happy I came across this! My mom used to make this year’s back and I can’t wait to make some! I’m going to search for some great cherries tomorrow! I know I’m a little late but it doesn’t have to be ready for the Holidays!
Mom also made something weaker though too. I don’t think she used anything with alcohol in it, I’m assuming she just used water. It’s too late for me to ask her because she passed away (at almost 92) in March, almost 6 months ago. She called it “sok” and we would use it in our tea sometimes. Do you think you could help me with this?
Kathy Alexander
Question, do you use the sweet cherries or the tart cherries to make this? Thanks
polishhousewife
Hi Kathy,
I have used sweet cherries because that’s what I’ve found. I’ve been told to make true wisniowka, one must use sour cherries. If you adjust the sugar a bit, after months steeping in vodka, I don’t know that anyone could tell. Thanks for asking!
Carol Dombrowski Krieg
I first tasted Wisniowka in Warsaw a few years ago and fell in love with it. Tried but can’t find it here in North Carolina. Today Sweet cherries went on sale for Memorial Weekend and I bought a pound. So this weekend I will be making my first batch. I am so excited! How much vodka should I use for one pound of cherries? I saw a comment that said 3:1. Is that 3 cups vodka to one cup of cherries. So glad I found this post a while back. Thanks for sharing!
polishhousewife
Hi Carol,
I am so excited for you too! It’s not an exact science. You want all of your cherries to be covered in vodka. The first time I made this, I added some brandy with the vodka. That’s the 3:1 reference I was making 3 parts vodka, 1 part brandy. With a pound of cherries, I think a 750 ml bottle of vodka should be enough. Have fun; I’d love to hear how it turns out. All the best!
Susan McQuade
Hi from Illinois…Just made a batch (4 jars) using your recipe above with just vodka. My first attempt! How do you store? In the refrigerator or just on the shelf in the basement? Thank you!
Sue McQuade
polishhousewife
Hi Susan!
On a shelf in the basement would be perfect until you’re ready to drink it. You’ll want to serve it chilled, so move it to the fridge or freezer when you’re ready to enjoy. Na zdrowie!
mikeee
No vodka just gin and brandy added a peach as well experimental so fingers crossed
polishhousewife
Creative combination, Mikeee; I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Carol Dombrowski Krieg
I made my first batch back on Memorial Day weekend. On Thanksgiving night 2 weeks ago, we tasted it and were not disappointed. So smooth. I used bing cherries when they first were in the markets and one cup of sugar. It turned out a bit too sweet for our taste so we added more vodka. Today I am going to strain it and funnel it into a bottle with a cork so we can use it at Christmas. Now I need to find a decorated bottle for future attempts. I am so happy to have found this recipe last year. Thanks for posting it!
polishhousewife
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Carol! Na zdrowie!
Mich
I wonder what the non alcoholic version contains for liquid? Just water and sugar, perhaps boiled together to make a syrup first?
polishhousewife
Hi Mich, a basic recipe for kompot is a pound of fruit, 4 quarts of water and a cup of sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Some recipes add the sugar at the beginning, some after cooking.
Mich
Thank you.
Joette Frankovic Clark
Hi from a second generation Polish/Slovak housewife in New Jersey. Your instructions say that after 4 to 6 weeks, strain, rebottle and age for 2 to 3 months. When rebottling, do you add the strained liquid OR fresh vodka OR just pack dry? Thank you for this recipe and all your others, which we enjoy so much.
polishhousewife
Hi Joette, thanks for your question and helping me clarify. I strain out the cherries and discard them. By this point, they’ve lost all of their cherry flavor. I know some people like to eat them, maybe on top of ice cream. It is like eating vodka. When you rebottle the cherry flavored vodka, you can taste it to see if you want it sweeter (add a little more sugar) or less sweet (add a little more vodka). As the wisniak ages in the next 2 to 3 months, the flavors meld and it becomes smoother. Thanks for your kind words!
Gary Wasserman
I have been making sweet cherry liqueur for many years now and then extended the process to grapes to make port. I put cherries in a gallon bottle and fill with granulated sugar to fill the gaps between the cherries. I let the bottle rest til the sugar melts adding sugar to keep the fruit covered. After all the sugar is melted I put the bottle away for 6 months. I then add grain alcohol to get about 60 to 80 proof and age 1 or 2 years in bottle. I have some bottles over 20 years old but eventually the flavor goes from brandied to spoiled.
As I said, this works with grapes like muscadine that grow here in Florida. I freeze the grapes to break the cell walls before sugaring, then defrost. Makes a fine port style desert wine.
polishhousewife
Very interesting, thanks for sharing!
polishhousewife
I want to try this with grapes!
Gary Wasserman
I forgot to say that I leave the cherries in bottle when done but I always remove the grapes and settle and then rebottle the wine in old screw top wine bottles.
Heather
I made this back in June using sour cherries, sugar, and a decent vodka. I think this is important because you can definetly taste the difference between a medium priced vodka and the cheap stuff. It’s been sitting ever since in a giant jar. I’m looking for some fun bottles or jars so I can distribute it around the holidays. I taste it every once in a while and it’s getting better and better. Although I’m anxious to bottle it up I think
I will let it sit for at least one more month. I should also note that when preparing the cherries I put a slight slit in the fruit to better expose the pit. By leaving the pits in I am hoping that a bit of that nutty flavor will come through.
polishhousewife
You’ll be famous for this gift!
Roger Neumann
I was very happy to find this site because years ago my Polish college roommate brought some back with him to our dorm room after being at home for the weekend in the Boston area. He brought a special set of two stainless steel shot glass sized containers in a red velvet lined wooden box. It was so good but he advised to take some in a small amount. Thanks.
C A Sasinowski
I purchased a 30oz jar of Hungarian Sweet Cherries with a water/sugar syrup. Do you think I can use them to make a batch? If so,with or without the syrup? I’m anxious to try it out. TY
polishhousewife
I think I would use the syrup because it probably has some of the cherry flavor, so don’t add sugar right away. Let the cherries and syrup sit in the vodka for a while than add sugar if needed.
Gordon
Thank you so much for the recipe! My Grandad was from Poland and after the war married my Nan and stayed in the UK (where I’m from) he used to make this every year and I’ve never tasted anything quite like it before, 1st time I was around 12yr’s old and loved it now I’m in my 40’s and been in to brewing myself for many yr’s a good mate on Facebook had a friend who’s Polish so asked him and I found out the proper name because my Grandad used to call it Cherry Soc/Sok… And he sent me two different way’s of spelling it (how I found your page) plus a few different recipes.. I’m 3 week’s in to making it.. 2 gallons 🙂 because I won’t be able to resist a few shot’s before racking and waiting even long. Thank you and happy brewing xx
polishhousewife
I’m so glad to be able to help you continue your Grandad’s tradition, Gordon. Na zdrowie!
Cindy B.
We just bottled our first batch of Wisniak. Making another batch with frozen (thawed) cherries. How well do the cherries keep in the refrigerator for use later? I have lots of cherries!!
polishhousewife
I just bottled mine too! Just to be safe, I put my cherries in a gallon ziplock bag and popped them in the freezer. I think they’d be great in homemade ice cream. Na zdrowie!
Cindy B.
Wonderful idea! Thank you!
Cindy B.
I decided to make some chocolate covered cherries. I patted them dry before covering them. Husband loves them. Not for the kiddos though!
polishhousewife
That sounds fabulous!
Kristopher Schuster
We made this, and just cracked it open after about 4 months. It tastes like cherry cough syrup! Any tips on how to save it at this point?
polishhousewife
I’m sorry to hear you’re dissappointed in the outcome. Are you sipping it chilled? It’s best cold. I guess my question would be what do you want to change?
Is it too sweet, too strong, not sweet enough?
If it’s too sweet, you can always add a little more vodka and cherry juice.
Too strong, add a little cherry juice and sugar if needed.
Not sweet enough, add a little sugar.
I made one batch that was way too strong, an experiment gone wrong. I found a bottle of cherry juice at Whole Foods and kept adding small amounts with a little sugar until I got a balance that seemed right. My advice is to try small adjustments.
It could be that you are just not a fan of wisniak or wisniowka. Maybe try it with a mixer, tonic water or Coke?
Kristopher Schuster
Thanks for the tips. My mother used to make the stuff and I loved it, but mine went sideways, I blame it in the vodka I used. I’ll try to bugger it with cherry juice as you suggested. Udanych wakacji!
polishhousewife
Thanks, Happy Holidays to you to. Good luck with you recipe recuse.
Christine
Can I use frozen sweet cherries?
polishhousewife
I haven’t tried it with frozen, Christine, but I imagine it would work. Give it a shot, and let me know how it goes.
Angelina
Sok Czeresniowy is something which my parents and my aunts & uncles make for special celebrations and for holidays. They mix it with Sprytus. My Italian husband calls this drink “Polish Firewater”, and rightly so, since it’s incredibly potent, but delicious. You have to drink it right down in one shot out of a shotglass. For some reason you’re not advised to sip it. Thanks for posting this outstanding recipe for Wisniak, NA ZDROWJE!
Pearl race
Would it be possible to use frozen cherries
polishhousewife
I haven’t done this with frozen, but I think it would work. Why not try a small batch to test it? That way you haven’t invested too much. Thanks!
Joan
Hi! Thank you for your recipe. Would it be ok to use frozen cherries I picked over the summer, or use fresh next season?
polishhousewife
I think your frozen cherries would be fine. 🙂
TinaNM
Made this with sour cherries. Waited a full 4 months. Delicious!!! I serve with a cherry in small cordial glass. Will definitely make this again, but next time will double the recipe. Great for holiday gifts!
Gerard
Hi, I just stumbled upon this recipe and will try to make it as soon as possible. If I have a jar large enough, can I mix everything in it, or should I just use smaller jars?
Thanks
polishhousewife
A large jar will be just fine! Na zdrowie!
Ron
I was taught that you take one cup of sugar one cup of pitted cherries and put it in a mason jar one quart size and fill it to the top with vodka and put it out in the sun 6 weeks. Will this work? It’s how I remember that my grandfather said he made it.
Karen
Making it for the 2nd time. First batch was delicious but a tad too sweet for my liking. This time I decreased the sugar by 1/4c. I use Bing cherries which are pretty sweet on their own. The cordial will be ready to taste in time for the holidays. Can’t wait!