Step 1

Use a small spoon to scrape the seeds from your vanilla beans into a quart-sized mason jar, then drop the beans in there too.

Step 2

Dump your cherries into the same jar, top off with the grain alcohol, and give the whole thing a good shake.

Step 3

Stick it into the refrigerator for at 3-6 days, shaking once a day. You can serve this up after a few days, or wait longer to let the cherry flavor get even stronger. I liked how it looked and tasted after 5 days of steeping.

Step 4

If you’re not straining: Store your cherry moonshine in the fridge. It will last 2-3 weeks.

Step 5

If you are straining: Once your cherry moonshine is as strong as you want it to be, strain it into a forever container and store in the fridge or freezer. This sucker will last for years!