Plum Brandy

Okay, here's a great recipe for Plum Brandy. Remember, with brandy you get what you pay for; cheap brandy is awful. Unfortunately, the best brandy is French, and I won't buy it. I did find a bottle of decent Italian brandy and that worked just fine.

750 ml quality brandy
4 lbs. pitted plums (I use the Japanese Shiro) WITH the skin
1-2 cups sugar

The amount of sugar depends on the sweetness of the fruit. If you use a very ripe or sweet plum like the Japanese Shiro, you don't need more than a cup of sugar. But if your plums aren't that sweet, be sure to use more sugar. My neighbor has a small plum orchard and they often have a cornucopia of plums every two summers or so therefore we devised this way to use them (as well as conserve, jam, syrup, sorbet, blah blah blah).

Mix well and keep in a glass jar or tupperware style airtight container. If the lid of your jar is metal, line it with plastic wrap. Stir once a week for at least 3 months. This takes longer than the cordial. Strain with metal strainer and cheesecloth. Enjoy on a cold winter's night!