Sorbet of Kirschenwasser

A wine sorbet of the classic French service, meant as a cold interlude rather than a dessert. Two details govern it: the density of the syrup and the fact that the spirit goes in only after freezing.

• "Syrup at 35 degree"This is a reading on a Baume saccharometer, not a temperature. Thirty-five degrees Baume is a heavy syrup of roughly 65 percent sugar by weight; in practice, about 2 pounds of sugar dissolved in 2 cups of water, cooled before use.
• Sugar is what makes it scoopableWith no dairy or egg, the sugar concentration alone controls texture. Cut it much and the mixture freezes into a solid block; increase it and the sorbet will not set at all.
• A pint of chablisA dry, unoaked white wine with good acidity. Modern oaked Chardonnay will taste heavy here; a Chablis, Aligote or dry Muscadet is closer to what was intended.
• KirschenwasserKirschwasser, the clear unsweetened cherry brandy of Alsace and the Black Forest, about 40 percent alcohol. Do not substitute a sweetened cherry liqueur such as maraschino, which will throw the sugar balance off.
• Why the spirit goes in lastAlcohol depresses the freezing point. Three tablespoons stirred into the finished ice will soften it slightly; added before churning it works against a firm set, though the pint of wine already in the base contributes more alcohol than the kirsch does.
• Straining through silkA fine-mesh sieve or a double layer of rinsed cheesecloth does the same work of catching undissolved sugar and any sediment from the wine.
• "Freeze in the usual way"A hand-cranked churn in an ice-and-salt bath. In an electric machine, churn until it holds a soft ribbon; without a machine, freeze in a shallow pan and rake with a fork every 20 minutes for a granita-like result.
• Yield and serviceAbout a quart, or six to eight small stemmed glasses. Served between courses it should be soft and barely holding shape, so let it stand a few minutes out of the freezer.