Peach Liqueur

Ingredients

• 1 peck very ripe, very juicy peaches
• granulated sugar
• 1 quart brandy
• 1 quart whiskey
• 1 pinch blade mace
• whole cloves
• 6 black peppercorns

Instructions

1. Peel a peck of very ripe, very juicy peaches and cut the flesh from the seed. Weigh the peaches and mix with an equal weight of granulated sugar, packing them down in earthen or agate ware.
2. Crack the peach seeds, remove the kernels, and blanch them as you would almonds. Place the blanched kernels in a quart of brandy and let stand in sunshine for a full day to extract the flavor.
3. Let the fruit and sugar stand for twenty-four hours. Then transfer to a preserving kettle and simmer very slowly until the fruit is in rags, adding boiling water as needed to make up for what cooks away. If desired, add a pinch of blade mace, some whole cloves, and half a dozen black peppercorns to simmer with the fruit (these spices are optional).
4. Strain the mixture without pressing to avoid cloudiness. While the juice is still very hot, mix it with the brandy and soaked kernels. Add an additional quart of whiskey so that you have a total of a gallon of fruit juice. Stir hard to blend everything well.
5. Let cool completely, then bottle or put in demijohns, taking care to apportion the kernels equally among the containers. The kernels will sink to the bottom, and the liqueur will deepen in flavor from them, developing a delicate almond fragrance.