Here's what ya do:
Three months later UPDATE: For easy Brita straining instructions click here.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Worth Repeating
I know I've blogged about this before but I think it deserves repeating, besides "'tis the season." :) It's my apricot brandy recipe but you can use fruit of any kind. I've done it with crab apples, blackberries, and cherries as well as apricots. My favourite is apricot, with crab apple running a close second. I wasn't too keen on blackberries but I had some neighbours who cleaned it right up! Gee I wonder if I could use up zucchini this way?? LOL
Here's what ya do:
Get a GLASS gallon jar. I buy them for a dollar a piece at a local restaurant in town so I don't have to buy huge jars of pickles :) Fill it with apricots or whatever fruit you have. Don't pit them.
Add three cups of granulated sugar.
Looks like snow!
Here comes a 26 ounce bottle of vodka, the cheapest you can buy, nothing fancy here.
Write the date on a piece of masking tape. If it's an odd day put "up on odd" an even day; "up on even." You flip the jar every day for three months and the tape will let you know if you've flipped it on any given day, unless you forget about it for two days! Don't stick it away in your cupboard or you'll forget about it. Place it on your counter and for the first few days keep it inside an ice cream bucket in case of leaks. If it does leak, open the jar, dump the liquid back in, place a square of plastic wrap between the jar and the lid. Other than doing this, try not to open the jar for the full three months. **After three months strain through a jelly bag or pillow case overnight, if you want it really clear then strain again through coffee filters.** See note below for a better way to strain! I bottle it into small mickey bottles and tuck into Christmas baskets. Enjoy :)
Three months later UPDATE: For easy Brita straining instructions click here.
Here's what ya do:
Three months later UPDATE: For easy Brita straining instructions click here.
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107 comments:
Hi Kansas...
I think apricot must be an old favorite. I like it too. We have two different kinds of cherries brewing here. One is black and the other is blacker :). They should make a very good brandy as both were very sweet tasting cherries and the color should be nice. We'll just have to sit back and wait to see.
I wonder if there is a lot of people that make their own brandy?? It seems quite easy to make but then I guess it would depend on what fruit was available. I think we are quite spoiled with all the fruit and vegetables we have available. I took a cucumber and zucchini to one of the Ladies at the Seniors Lodge and she was just so excited to get them. They just don't grow gardens anymore but they sure appreciate the fresh vegetables. I will take more over now I know.
Love Ya!
The colors are beautiful! A question: can one use a PLASTIC gallon jug? I have a few and I wondered it that might work - or will it make it taste funny? Or put horrid toxins in it or something? =)
Hi Donna!
I think it would be okay as long as it had been previously used for food and not chemicals or catfood, etc. I've only done it with glass so I can't be sure but I'd try it if that's all I had.
Try using a Brita water pitcher to filter the second time. Local college folks use it to improve really cheap vodka. Love the blog... Madison fan
Hi,
Saw your apricot brandy recipe and want to give it a try. One question, from the pictures it doesn't look like the fruit was peeled or anything (other than cleaned), is this correct? I want to try this with plums as well and just want to make sure I do it right.
Thank you,
Joe
also, sorry to hear about your horse Joey....
Hi Madison Fan!
That is a great idea about the Brita Water filter, I'll have to try that :)
Hi Joe :)
Nope the apricots are not peeled. Just clean them and I'm a bit lazy on doing that :) No matter what fruit I've used I've never peeled, cored, or seeded any of it. I did cut up the crabapples though. Let me know if you like it :)
Thanks about Joey :)
Kansas
Like the idea as have a ton of apricots to use up out here in Cyprus. But why vodka? Why not brandy - which is, after all, what we are looking to make, here! I'm thinking of using the local (slightly rough!) Cypriot brandy; what do you think?
Oh - and, of course, I need to find equivalents to your gallon, cup and bottle sizes!
Cheers!
Mike C.
Hi Mike, I use vodka because it's a lot cheaper than buying brandy. I can't see buying brandy to make brandy?? You already have brandy so why make it? I guess if you bought a cheap brandy and turned it into something wonderful that would work but in our neck of the woods vodka (especially cheap vodka) makes excellent brandy :)
Hi there.... I started my brandy a few days ago and notice that every day that I flip it the fruits that are floating above the water at the top are going very brown. This is happening daily and it does look a little worrisome. Is this normal? Should I be doing something different? Thanks, Karolina
Help!!! I am on my second day and the top apricots are turning brown (the ones not covered in vodka.) Is this normal or should I remove the brown ones. Thanks Ken
Don't worry about the top/bottom of the fruit getting brown, it's normal. Next time just add a bit more vodka so it covers all the fruit if you don't like to see it. Once the apricots settle a bit this will stop, and when you strain it it won't affect the brandy at all. You could also flip it twice a day so the fruit settles quicker. Let me know how it turns out for you :)
I started mine on June 17th. I don't know how I'm going to wait another two months to try it!
Hi Anna,
I just started two batches on Friday and the three months will seem like forever ;) but it's worth the wait.
I noticed that you do not fill the gallon jars completely with vodka... why is that? Wouldn't you get more brandy if you added more vodka?
If you let the batch sit for 4 months instead of 3, does the brandy get more of the fruit flavor in it or does the alcohol just get stronger... or both!?
And what do you do with the fruit? Can you eat it or do you just throw it out? I would think you could eat it... just like when you soak cherries in vodka or moonshine.
I don't fill the jars right up because I buy a 26 ounce bottle of vodka and use one for each batch. I would think the jar needs "breathing" room too.
I'm not sure if it would get stronger or more flavourful because I've never really let it get past 3 months. I would imagine you can only draw so much flavour out of the fruit and that's it. We don't eat the apricots but I guess you could, it's just that there isn't much flavour left to them.
i'm gonna try it with blueberries. Yummy!! And will try the fruit after as well.
We just talked about using blueberries yesterday! Please let me know if you like it!!
we made cherry bounce from flathead cherries(a process similar to the apricot brandy you describe) and found that the cherries are great eating afterward. they have a bit of a bite and are great on ice cream, in champagne, or dipped in chocolate. i'll let you know how the apricots are for eating after the brandy is done.
myrna in montana
holeeeeee @#!$$...this is goooddd! I have cherrys, grapes, apples and peaches! MMmmm
Have done it with bluberries, raspberries, orange/coffee (ask me how -the proceedure is a bit special), and cherries
What do you mean by cheap vodka.Can store bought fruit or our own frozen fruit be used?
Where I live we have vodka ranging in price from 20 to 50 dollars a bottle, I go for the "cheap" 20 dollar bottle.
I've never used frozen fruit at all, (actually I did once; for blackberry brandy!) It turned out okay so I guess you could use frozen but I usually use what fruit happens to be in season.
Do you get any metal taste from the lid or is that why you use the plastic wrap?
Nope, never had a metal taste before. I use the plastic wrap if a jar leaks, sometimes the lids aren't the best and the plastic wrap helps seals it. I've done lots with no plastic wrap though and the taste is fine :)
Hi,
I used Pomegranates in the brandy recipe and it turned out fantastic. Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Randy
Pomegranates! What a great idea, never thought of that fruit before :)
how about using straight grain alcohol??
I guess straight grain alcohol would work, let me know how it turns out :)
For the person who mentioned using pomegranates...or to anyone for that matter, I imagine it should be seeded right? Only the seeds should be put in the jar?
Hi Kansas, just started our first apricot jar and wondering if we started an apple one if we need to quarter the apples before putting them in the jar. Thanks
Deb in Michigan
Hi Deb,
You can quarter them or even in half depending on the size. You're going to strain the whole works so it's fine to cut them.
Hello Everyone, I have two trees loaded with Loquats that taste very sweet but are a pain to eat as they are quite small and have multiple seeds so I thought I'd try making Loquat Brandy. Not having glass bottles available I am using a 2-1/2 gal plastic water bottle with a spiggot. I filled it a little over half way with Loquats but when I used 26 oz of vodka it covered such a small amount of the fruit I kept adding Vodka until I used the entire 1.75 liter bottle and still didn't cover the fruit. Well we'll see how it turns out in a few months!
Kevin in Lancaster, CA
Dana in Kansas,
Hi just started my first batch of brandy, would like to know what I store it in when it is finished in 3 months. What type of jars and were do I find them? Thank you...
Hi Dana,
Any jars will do. I've used quart canning jars or old cleaned liquor bottles. Glass is best.
Hi Kansas,
Ok so do I need to have them sealed in any special way if I plan on storing some for awhile and giving them for gifts?
Dana
As long as you strain it and don't add any thing (My MIL tried to stretch her's and added some sort of mango juice (yuck) but I would imagine that would go moldy). Just keep it plain and it's no different than grabbing a bottle from the liquor store. I've never had one go bad and I've kept apricot stored in a cool dark place for more than a year! (Hidden of course lol). I've got cherry brandy my Mom made and have had it for about three years and it's fine sitting on my shelf.
Dana from Kansas,
Kansas, thanks so much for the information. I caint wait to try it. Have a great summer!!
Hi I am making my first batch of apricot brandy and I read some of the other comments and I added extra vodka and I was wondering should I add extra sugar since I added more vodka or would the results be the same. Thank you
I think it depends on how much extra vodka you use. If it's only a small amount I wouldn't add anymore sugar, but if you doubled the amount I'd double the sugar. Hope this helps :)
Hi Do I have to turn the jug every day or can it go unturned for a couple days if I go out of town for the weekend? Thanks
Leaving it unturned for a few days doesn't hurt it at all. :)
I have tried this a few different ways. My personal opinion is: Apricots should be pitted (they leave an off flavor) and halved(this speeds up the time frame drastically. I use 2/3 white sugar, 1/3 brown sugar and a few tables spoons of molasses (mainly for color). I did apple once with real maple syrup and sugar, super tasty.
Then I use all vodka and 1 cup of 151 or Captain Morgan spiced rum 100 proof, this gives it a little more kick, as people want to just drink it down. But with the kick, it slows them up a bit.
Done this way it is soooo good, and I have noticed that it is super good at around 2 weeks. I have never been patient enough to wait nor found the need Poor over ice, stir and drink... mmmmm tasty
Hi Don: I guess people have different opinions because even when I can apricots I throw a few pits in the jar for flavour, always have for years now. The other reason I don't pit or halve is it's quite quick to throw everything together and be done with the assembling of the recipe. I currently have three batches on the go and the wait is so worth it, and three batches is enough for Xmas presents as well as personal use ;)
True.
I noticed that the batches that I didn't pit them did take longer to taste as good. So what would you say is the difference in the product at 3 months comparative to any other time ? I contemplated removing a few shots worth along the way to compare them all at the end, but 3 months is soo long to wait. :(
Hi Don, I can't say what the difference is because I've always gone the three months. One time I had a batch that "someone" (not me, and I didn't know) opened and tested before the three months and it turned the whole works into mush. I wouldn't suggest opening and closing the jar during the sitting part of it. Open it once and strain it but don't continue to do it throughout the process. You can tell it builds up pressure because when I do open it after three months it goes psssst, the fermenting process?? Not sure but I would imagine you lose that and it take a bit to build back up if you continue to open/close it.
Because I've got three jars on the go I'll strain one off after two months and compare it to a three months one... I'll get back to you :)
My brandy is comming up done fast. I had used plastic gallon containers but had to change them because they were leaking.. I changed them about a 5 days after starting.. I have two jars that were in glass and I didnt have to change at all. The jars that I didnt have to transfer over have clear liquid in them. The transfered jars are a light brown color. My question is....Are they all ok no matter what color they are?
All the jars should be fine as long as you didn't continually open them throughout the process. Mine are a brownish colour when I'm done and it looks wonderful after it's all strained :)
Thank you! I hate to see 8 gallon jars go to waste... Im excited to try.. two weeks now..
Chuck
hello and thanks of giving idea of doing abricot brandy, that havent never occured to me. I have done Cranberry with and without vanilla, some with sugar, honey or brown sugar, from dryed appleslices with dryed rowan/mountain ash berries. I have used vodka, Koskenkorva ( spirit made from grains and potatoes, local Finland), some rye spirit. I did it quite simply, half filled or 2/3 jar with fruits, then filled it with sugar or honey, then much spirit as y can fill. with dry fruits, better fill just half, cos they will get twice bigger in few weeks, and all so needs few times of filling of spirit, to keep them covered.
I left them to be about 4 months, drained, and filled jars again with sugar and spirit, about same time before draining. I have let them to have time before using, 2-6 months. They have been quite delicious, more liquer than brandy.
But, for whole abricots, i think y should serve them with coffee or cheese, at least here in France, where i live now. those are considered like treats. I have tasted at friend house some whole eau de vie soaked whole plums, Mirabelles and those small black cherrys, Griottes are sold in liquor stores in cognac or spirit at very high price. But, they do are nice with icecream, i havent had heart yet use them for cooking ,) One i what y might like to try is basil liquor, it just needs variety diffrent kind of basil, but process is same. That has very unique taste, im not so fond of basil overall, but that i like.
Now im off to go try your idea of abricot brandy .)
Hi: I wander if one could make brandy using previously home canned apricots. How about it is it do-able?
thanks
Hi Anonymous,
I would think it's do-able but I'd cut the sugar down after draining the canned apricots. Let me know if it works out for ya :)
I did this using pears. I would miss a few days of flipping but did try to keep at it consistently. I did clean and quarter my pears due to size. I used Gallon jars and quart jars. The liquid from the quart jars was more of a burnt gold color and the liquid from the gallon jars more yellow. Don't know why as the mixture was mixed all the same for all the jars.
The taste is a bit different but good from both.
I will definitely be doing this again when my pear trees fruit out. I'm glad to know that once sealed into bottles it will keep for a while.
I just wish there was something to do with all the pears left over. It seems like a waste to throw them out. I did try one and it was a bit crunchy around the edges from the sugar and tasted of alcohol. I'm guessing I could make a "pear brandy cake" like you would a rum cake but I have not tried that yet.
Thank you for putting this on the web.
I was just wondering if you can make ginger brandy also? Would you use fresh ginger the same as apricots?
Sorry Anonymous I don't have a clue about the ginger. If you do try it stop back and let me know how it turns out. :)
When I lived in Scotland (over 30 years ago) we used to make sloe gin - the same recipe as for your apricot brandy - but using sloes, which are a relative of plums. It was fantastic. Our friends used to line up to get some! Haven't had anything like that since, so must now try your apricot brandy. Sounds wonderful.
Hi I just started a batch of peach & apricot. I didn't see any reference to what proof vodka to use so I used 80 proof. will this make a huge difference in its flavor?
I used 80 proof vodka will this affect the overall drinkabillity of my brandy?
I have no idea what the vodka I put in is but it's the cheapest one can buy at the liquor store so it's probably not 80 proof. :)
I think any proof vodka would work, you just might be a little more tipsy than me! LOL
Hello. Thank you for sharing this recipe! My husband and I absolutely love this recipe! We tried the apricot brandy for Xmas and it was fantastic! A huge hit! As mentioned by Sunfire we made sloe gin as well (Canadians living in England) using a similar recipe and it was also excellent. Disappointing we don't have sloes in North America.
I started 3 more batches in early April and have just bottled them as I'll be in Canada at the 3 month mark. I made plum, mango and an apple and pomegranate mix with a stick of cinnamon. I think the mango is my favorite with the plum coming a close second. The a&p one is good but has a strong cinnamon taste - be careful when using cinnamon sticks as they are very strong!
I am wondering Kansas what may have happened this time as some of them are quite cloudy even though I have run them through the brita (the a&p one 3 times!). After a few days of resting it has a bit of silt on the bottom which looks a bit disturbing. Any thoughts on why this may be? Do you think it's still drinkable? Thanks for any advice.
I've had the same happen and no worries. Just let it all settle to the bottom and don't move the jar for a few days. Once it's all settled, drain off, leaving the sediment... you're good to go. :)
I have been making blackberry brandy for years, but I think the apricot brandy is even better. I have found, however, that using good brandy makes a difference--andI don't care for vodka at all. I make two batches--some with whole apricots, some with halved. I also fill up my bottle with brandy--it keeps the apricots from turning and from getting mushy. When the brandy is finished, I pit the apricot halves in my dehydrator. The low heat keeps the alcohol from evaporating and my family fights over the (alcohol-laden) apricots!
was just wondering, not much said bout taste factor when using the brita system.. sounds good but before I go out and buy one just wondering does it change the taste?
To Anonymous, I found the brita didn't change the taste at all, and it's a whole lot easier than the coffee filter method. :)
GREAT idea about using the dehydrator to dry the apricots, I will try that with my next batches! Thanks :)
If I use quart canning jars, do you happen to know the ratios?
I'm sorry Anonymous I don't know the ratios. If the quart jar hold half a bottle of vodka go with 1.5 cups of sugar.
I started 3 jars on the 23rd of July. My jars were leaking and I did as you suggested and wrapped some saran around the lid, it worked but forgot to replace the vodka. Can I open the jars again to add a little more? Or should I just leave them alone.
Thanks
If you only started them less than a week ago I can't seeing it being a problem. :)
Can you just put everything in a food grade bucket w/ a lid on it, and then take the lid off everyday and give it a stir??
To Chaslin,
I'm not sure if taking the lid off everyday is a good idea. You might just give it a shake if the lid is tight enough, sorta swirl it around.
Thanx Kansas. It's getting a little aromatic and bubbly. I'm trying to decide if I should just try to salvage the batch that I have in the bucket (3 gal in a 6 gal bucket) and just start over w/ fresh fruit. I went w/ the bucket b/c jars seemed nearly impossible to find around here. It's been about a month since I started it. Any suggestions appreciated.
Love this! I made this with cherries and a little bit of cinnamon.......turned out wonderful! The fruir was "recycled" into muffins and all the ladies from church loved them!
Chaslin, you might try to salvage the batch and bottle it now. It won't be as strong tasting as leaving it for 3 months but at least it won't go to waste. I've had a few other people tell me there's went bubbly too and I'm thinking it's because air was able to get in. I think taking the lid off at the beginning is okay but one should seal it and try not to open it until the whole three months is up. Let me know how things work out will you? :D
Kansas! Thank you for this! I am your newest fan! :) I think I'll try peaches first, because they are in season and easy/cheap to get right now, but I wasn't sure about putting them in the jar whole (like the apricot pic). Don't think I can get very many in the jar if they are whole. ?? And if I need to cut them, do I still leave the pits??? Afraid it might make it bitter. Just need your expert advice please! I really want to do crab apple also, but all our local trees have died in recent years, so still trying to find some. :( THANKS SO MUCH!!!!
Casey
O, and you really DO need "head space" or room to grow!!! Apparently my jar is just under a gallon, so the amount of vodka in the recipe filled it right to the top. I poured out about an inch but the next day it was slowly leaking out. When I took the top off to pour a little more off, it spewed and bubbled over for a few minutes! And this was not even 24 hours after I started the batch! I'm worried that it might need more room, but don't really know what to do about it... Its a little frustrating that my jars were supposed to be a gallon but are actually about 2 cups short... I will have to modify the recipe for the next batch I do... But love this idea and can't wait to try some other fruits!
Casey
I worked my butt off to pick a gallon of huckleberries....
If you think apricot is good, which it most definitely is, you should try huckleberry!
OK, so I have an apricot tree in my neighbor's yard, some of which's branches hang on my yard. Every year I pick the apricots on my side, turn them into jam and jar them. This year I tried something new - apricot ice cream (delicious!) and brandy. I did two batches. First was a variant on Don's 2-week brew using un-pitted apricot halves, cheapest vodka and white sugar. The other was a take on Kansas A's whole-apricot 3-month brew, but with Don's suggested formulation of 2/3 brown, 1/3 white sugar, plus a cup of Captain Morgan on top of Svedka (i.e., reasonably good) vodka. Just wrapped up the taste test.
My take on Don's 2-week formula came up darker, syrupy, very sweet, no aftertaste, very drinkable sipping brandy.
My take on Kansas's 3-month formula came up lighter, also syrupy, also sweet but some aftertaste. Not quite as drinkable straight as the Don variant, but still quite good. Those who are looking for an edgier, more whiskey-like experience might prefer it.
Verdict? What a lot of fun! Kansas, thank you for putting together such an enjoyable blog!
Exactly how many apricots will fill a 1 gallon jug? How many pounds, etc. because apricots have begun to get pricey around this time, I was kind of late in getting around to making this...
GA Casey, sorry I've never tried peaches so I don't know. I'd try splitting the recipe in half and going with jar with and without the pits, cut up too so I could fit more in.
Anonymous, re: taste test. Changing the recipe quite a bit may have made the difference between my recipe and the modified one. I'm glad you had fun making it. :D
Anonymous, re: amount of apricots. I've never counted them nor weighed them so I'm not exactly sure how many I use. I guess depending on the size of them, we have much smaller ones in our area than most places, so I'm guessing maybe 30-40?? of them. Hope that helps. :)
My apricot brandy came off today after 3 months. It is thick and not much liquid in it. It won't go thru a strainer. What did I do wrong and what can I do?
Roberta from Okllahoma
It did, thanks. I also made a second batch except changed the recipe a bit, tossed in a peach and an orange with the rest being apricots. Then added 1 1/2 cups reg sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1 tbs honey, hopefully doesn't come out too sweet and give everyone diabetes.
Roberta from Oklahoma
I would add more vodka to thin it down and try straining it with a large hole strainer first and then use a finer one. Let me know how it turns out please. :)
Has anyone ever tried making brandy with citrus fruit? My mother loves grapefruit and I would really like to try to make this for her. Any thoughts or suggestions would be a great help!
I've heard of a recipe where you suspend an orange over the mixture for a few months but I've never tried it Caledonia. You might try google and see if you can find it. Let me know how it turns out. :)
This is the second time that we havd made apricot brandy. It was such a hit last time, we are giving it as Christmas gifts this year :)
But...one of the batches didn't get strained right after it was opened and darkened quite a bit. I would think that it hasn't gone bad, but just got stronger. Is that the case?
Thanks!!
It's highly unlikely it went bad and I have to agree with you about it just getting stronger. Give it a taste and see... I betcha it tastes delicious! :D
Great! Thanks! That was my hunch...but my hubby didn't want to give out CHristmas presents going on my hunch alone. I'll mix the batches together (the lighter with the dark) that should cut the strength a little.
Thanks again!! I can't tell you how excited folks are that they will be getting some apricot brandy in the next few weeks.
By the way, anyone who doesn't have 1 gallon glass jars laying around; ask a waiter/waitress at your favorite restaurant. That's we we did. The only cost, is a little of the brandy when it's ready ;)
I have a question on the Brita filtering, I only have 1 brita pitcher. Am I supposed to leave it overnight in the Brita pitcher and then bottle it? Or can I just let it filter and then place it in a jug overnight? Just wondering since it seems like a long process to filter 2 gallons of this stuff while only using 1 pitcher.
You can let it filter and place it in a jug overnight no prob. :)
This stuff is great!!!! I cant wait to make more apricot as well as some different flavors.
we made peach and blk Berrie last year loved it. peaches are almost ripe on my trees and we are picking blk berries now,and yes were making more this year thanks for sharing.
Greetings from Yorkshire UK.
Made with Victoria plums, split to discard the stone, then semi dried the fruit in low oven for half a day before bottling with cheap brandy.
Absolutely brilliant after 2 months - the colour is bright copper & flavour is apricot/ plum with a lovely bitter aftertaste. Nothing left of original cheap alcohol smell.
Will use finished fruit in a french 'clafoutis' or 'flan d'oeuf'. The brandy is excellent - a tiny glass with black coffee & some dark chocolate is the best.
Hi Kansas,
Love your apricot brandy recipe and photos.
I'm a mama in Winnipeg, Manitoba writing a book called Prairie Fruit The Essential Guide to Harvesting, Preserving and Enjoying Backyard Fruit. I think your brandy recipe is a great way to enjoy prairie fruit! Would you consider allowing me to include your recipe and photo in the book? Full credit would of course go to you.
This book comes on the heels of launching a volunteer effort called Fruit Share where volunteers pick unwanted fruit from backyards and share it with volunteers, homeowners and local food charities. Doing this work made me realize there are a lot of people who don't know what to do with our lovely fruit. see fruitshare.ca if you want to learn more. Would love to hear from you.
I think you could "seal" brandy in small 1 pint canning jars to keep and give for presents. Just make certain the jars are hot, clean, and have new sealer lids so they will "pop" to store. I make jar bread this way and it works well, keeps for 1 year sealed, so the brandy should keep well too. It'd be nice to make cloth tops for gifts.
We have just stood up 6 mason jars with 2 kinds of plumbs. Can't wait!
So my inner dork is dying to know what the chemical reaction is that makes this happen...? What is the little critter eating the sugar during ermentation and which ingredient does it enter the jar from? Is something dormant in the vodka that gets kick-started again when introduced to a new sugar supply? Is it in the fruit? Just wondering.
So I couldn't find a gallon jar other than a Carlo Rossi wine jug with a narrowed neck so I had to half the apricots. What's the deal with the pits? Is there something about "not pitting them"? I put the pits in too just in case but didn't have a choice. Just wondering??
2 questions -- my jar is too small to put the apicots in whole so I halved them and didn't know when it says "don't pit them" so I put the pits in as well. Didn't know if that was important? And the second question is -- after 3 months don't the apricots in the jar taste good?? Can you jar them up and save them for desserts or something? Or do you think they need to be put in the freezer or some other method of storage?
Hi! I should have strained mine in August but just finally got to it today and this is the most wonderful thing I've ever tasted. So sad I only have one batch to ration for the winter! I'm a little worried about the proof of the final product but honestly can't get over how lovely it tastes. Thanks so much for your post! We drank to your health tonight!
JB in Las Vegas
We made this last year, and it was delicious and so amazingly easy! I couldn't get the jars to stop leaking so gave up on turning them every day - I just gave them a good shake very day or two. Worked out just fine, we are making another batch today with this year's apricot crop. Thanks for posting the recipe/instructions!
Can you use dried apricots? how would one do this? thanks
Came across this while looking for Apricot Brandy recipes. This is pretty close to what my mother use to make over 40 years ago. It was so good we are still talking about today! The recipe mom used asked for dried apricots, socked in vodka for 3 months. I wasn't sure about the amount of sugar, and she used cheese cloth to strain hers. The apricots, after socking in vodka were then used in her holiday cookies. Great memories, great gift idea!
I'm trying this now but I only had quart kerr jars so I did 2 small batches. I'm having an issue where the lids are now convex and look like they may explode off the jar. Have you had this problem before and could you advise me on what to do or what I did wrong?
Sorry, I haven't done much with my blog in a long time! I would release the pressure if you haven't already done so. The large gallon jars I use aren't totally tight all the time and the brandy turns out fine so air getting in is okay.
I just found your blog and started a batch. I’m wondering if I can use a fermentation lid instead of a regular lid.
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