Black Forest Spirit · Cherry Brandy
Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser (Black Forest Cherry Brandy)
📷 Closely related photo — Photo: Mikelo / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
It takes roughly ten kilograms of small, dark Black Forest cherries — pits and all — to distill a single bottle of Kirschwasser, and the crushed pits contribute a faint, distinctive almond-like note that connoisseurs consider part of the spirit's signature flavor.
Kirschwasser is a clear, unaged brandy distilled from whole fermented cherries grown in the hills of the Black Forest, drunk chilled in small glasses as a digestif. It's dry rather than sweet, with an intense, pure cherry aroma that's a world apart from cherry liqueurs.
Why it's made this way: The Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg has grown small sour cherries and distilled them into Kirschwasser for centuries, a tradition so central to the area that it also gives Black Forest cake its name-defining splash.
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