kirsch

kirsch, dry, colourless brandy distilled from the fermented juice of the black morello cherry. Kirsch is made in the Black Forest of Germany, across the Rhine River in Alsace (France), and in the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland. Its production methods remain traditional. The fully ripened cherries are mashed in a large wooden tub or vat and allowed to ferment freely. Upon completion of this process, the entire mass—liquid, pulp, and cherry stones—is distilled in a pot still. During the mashing some of the cherry stones, or pits, are crushed, releasing some of their oils and acids. These include small amounts of hydrocyanic acid, which impart a distinctive bitter almond undertone to the beverage. Kirsch is not aged. It is marketed at 90 to 100 proof, in the clear white (colourless) state it comes off the still. It is a fruit brandy with a clean cherry fragrance and bitter almond taste. Kirsch is consumed neat, as brandy, and in cocktails and is also used in cooking as a flavouring.