Odd Blog

Just the other day I came upon a bottle of Asbach my mother had set aside a few years ago. I remember that she had tried it and found it to be a little to strong. After digging it back up, I thought I'd try it myself and it was delicious. I tried it again on the rocks with a splash of chamborge and was once again pleased. Since then I vowed to make some of my own brandy; unfortunately, my hopes were dashed:
private distillation of alchohol is illegal in the U.S. and pretty much anywhere outside New Zealand.
After browsing through some literature, I discovered that I can leave the distillation to the professionals by making my brandy with store-bought vodka.
Here is the recipe I found, it's taken from the legendary, purple Winemakers Recipe Handbook by Raymond Massaccesi.


Fruit Brandy

Peach Brandy
2.5 lbs Fresh, Ripe Peaches (Wt. w/o stones)
1.5 cups Sugar
0.5 cups Honey
1/5 btl .80 Vodka

Apricot Brandy
2.0 lbs Fresh, Ripe Apricots (Wt. w/o stones)
1.5 cups Sugar
0.5 cups Honey
1/5 btl .80 Vodka

Cherry Brandy
2.5 lbs Fresh, Pitted Cherries
1.5 cups Sugar
1/5 btl .80 Vodka

Procedure
1. Wash and remove stones and pits.
2. Juice into food-grade plastic container, add sugar and honey. Cover container in plastic, and let sit for 24hrs.
3. Add vodka and let sit for 4-6 months.
4. Strain liquor free of pulp into bottles.

The recipe also mentions that the fruit pulp left over can be used as a syrup on ice-cream and desserts.


Notes
Anyway, I haven't tried this recipe yet (it's hard for a 19 year old to get vodka in the U.S.); when I do, I'll share my results with you.