Cherry Bounce
from https://atasteofhistorywithjoycewhite.blogspot.com/

Bounces were the predecessors of cordials made by macerating fruit in spirits.

In September of 1784, George Washington packed a canteen of Cherry Bounce, Madeira, and Port for a trip west across the Allegheny Mountains. While most people today pack water when setting off on a long journey by foot, in Washington’s day it was safer to pack distilled spirits because the quality of the water on a long journey was uncertain.

The name bounce was applied commonly to drinks made with a mixture of brandy and sweetened cherry juice, and the earliest reference for it dates to 1693 in W. Robertson Phraseologia Generalis (new ed.) 369, where it is referred to as a "mingled [mixed] drink" called "cherrybouncer." In addition, the term bounce was considered to be a colloquialism for cherry brandy, as the two beverages are almost exactly the same. One proposed reason for this may involve deception to avoid paying the required duty (tax) levied on spirits (but there is no proof of this theory).

Research shows that in America whiskey and/or rum were used frequently instead of brandy. Notable American recipes for Cherry Bounce include one from Eliza Leslie’s c.1847 Directions for Cookery (Philadelphia). In this recipe, mashed morello cherries and black heart cherries are mixed with sugar and whiskey and stored for three months before use. Similarly, Fanny Gillette’s c.1887 White House Cook Book (Chicago) contains a Cherry Bounce recipe that blends wild cherries, whiskey, and sugar syrup. However, sugar was not always added; Gillette states that “a common way to make cherry bounce is to put wild cherries and whiskey together in a jug and use the liquor as wanted.”

An interesting variation of the recipe using rum is found in the c.1824 manuscript journal of Baltimorean, Ann Maria Morris. This journal is located in the H. Furlong Baldwin Library at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore. The recipe reads as follows:

Receipt for Cherry Bounce
Take the wild cherries before they are very ripe & dry them then fill a cask with the cherries & add rum to them until the vessel containing them is filled. Sweeten with best loaf sugar. Judge Bensons

Finally, an equally important recipe for Cherry Bounce was submitted to Maryland’s Way, the Hammond-Harwood House Cook Book and is attributed to Sarah Perry Rodgers, daughter of Commodore Perry, from her home at Sion Hill in Harford County. The first part of the recipe was evidently copied from another source and does not specify the type of spirit to use; instead, it non-committedly includes just best alcohol in the ingredients’ list. However, it appears that Sarah Perry Rodgers (or someone else) added a note at the bottom of the recipe clarifying that she was told by a Miss Ridgely of Baltimore (presumably from the prominent Ridgley family of Hampton, a plantation north of Towson with its exquisite Georgian manor house, the largest home in America at its completion in 1790) to add whiskey and Jamaica rum. According to Sarah Rodgers, Hampton was famous for its bounce.

The full recipe reads as follows:
7 pounds of wild cherries (or morellos). Best alcohol, 2 quarts. Put in a gallon jug and shake thoroughly every day for a month. At the end of 3 months make a syrup of 4 pounds white sugar and 4 quarts water. Boil these together and strain into the jug. Let stand 4 months, strain and bottle. This should make 6 quarts of bounce.
[Note]: I make mine with morello cherries and I also put in a little whiskey and Jamaica rum. The latter idea was told me by Miss Ridgely of Baltimore and they were famous for their Bounce.

From wikipedia.com: The name of the drink may derive from an 18th century definition of the term bounce which meant a "sharp blow". The name of the drink would thus impart a meaning similar to the modern term "shot". Early English recipes called for the use of brandy, while later recipes introduced substitutions for both the alcohol and sweetener used.

Modern Recipe Adaptation: Cherry Bounce

Ingredients Per 1 Quart Jar:
    1 pound cherries (any variety you can find but sour are best) [2 1/2 - 3 cups]
    1 cup granulated sugar
    1 cup brandy, whiskey or rum [not the expensive kind, but not the cheapest either]

Wash the cherries and remove the stems. Pierce each cherry several times with a paring knife or skewer.

Place the cherries in the quart jar.

In a bowl, mix together the sugar and rum.

Pour the sugar/rum mixture into the jar. Use a mashing fork or a spoon and mash the cherries enough to allow some of the cherry juices to seep out. Cover the jar and shake to mix up the sugar.

Place the covered jar(s) in a sunny spot in a place where you will see them every day. Shake the jars every few hours during the first 24 hours to distribute the sugar; you may even invert the jars during the first 24 hours to make sure the sugar gets evenly distributed. Shake every day for one whole week.

After one week in the sun, place the jar(s) in a dark place and allow them to age for at least another three months. I let mine age for five months.

After the aging process is complete, drain the cherries from the liquor. You can drink the bounce straight or cut it with water, or you can add it to your favorite cocktail. You can use the cherries as a topping for ice cream, whipped cream, jelly, cake, etc. But be aware that the cherries still contain their pits.

Riversdale Revels Cherry Bounce Punch

In honor of the 2017 Annual Twelfth Night Ball at Riversdale House Museum in Riverdale Park, Maryland, I created this cocktail using Cherry Bounce. Enjoy!

1 part cherry bounce
3 parts sweet sparkling wine (white or rose)
Cherries leftover from the bounce infusion process

Mix together the bounce and the sparkling wine.
Add ice and garnish with a few cherries.

References:
Oxford English Dictionary
Washington's Mount Vernon