Take equal quantities of ripe and sound fruit, such as apricots, peaches and plums, and prick them several times with a fork through to the stones. Put loaf sugar in a lined vessel, allowing one pound of sugar to one pound of fruit, pour in a small quantity of water, just about as much as the sugar will absorb, and place it over the fire until small transparent bubbles rise to the top. Put the mixed fruits into the syrup, and simmer gently at the side of the fire until just beginning to soften, then take it off, as the fruits must still remain firm. Leave them in the syrup until cold, or until the following day, then take them out, and place on a wire-sieve to drain. Boil the syrup until somewhat thickly reduced, and, when it is cold, mix with it an equal quantity of pale brandy. Place the fruit in jars or glasses, and pour the syrup over them.

Apple Brandy

Apple brandy is a spirit made wholesale in the United States from apples, and is more familiarly known as Apple Jack. To five barrels of good rectified spirit, add one gallon of syrup of gum-arabic, one pound of oil of apple and half a pound of oil of pear. Let it remain for some time in the barrel, then stir well, and filter.

Apricot Brandy

Mix half a pound of sugar and a little water with every two dozen apricots used; boil up and then remove and place in jars, and when cold, fill them up with brandy. Cover over securely and allow them to remain for several days, when they are ready for use. They may be carefully and thinly peeled before putting into the syrup, although this is not generally done.

Brandy Peaches

Split some large peaches in halves, put them in a lined-pan with some syrup and boil for two or three minutes; then take them out, peel the skins off, put them back again in the same syrup and let them simmer for five minutes; then take the pan off the fire and leave peaches in it till the next day. Drain the peaches and arrange them carefully in jars. Boil their syrup to the feather degree (see Sugar Boiling), then mix with it an equal quantity of white brandy, and when nearly cold, pour it over the peaches. When the syrup is quite cold, cork the jars and tie bladders over the tops. Keep them in a cool place.

Plums In Brandy

Use eight pounds of half ripe plums, prick them all over and place over the fire in cold water as soon as the water boils and the fruit rises to the surface, take out with a skimmer and lay them in a pan of cold water. Then clarify two pounds of loaf sugar, boil it to the little thread, put in the plums and boil, then remove them from the pan and let them stand in their syrup over night. The next day take them out of the syrup, boil this once and put the plums in again and boil once more, then let them stand all night. Repeat this operation the next day and the following day, drain the plums and put them into bottles, boil the syrup to candy height, let it cool, and when quite cold, add to it three-fourths of its own quantity of the best brandy, mix thoroughly with the syrup, strain it and pour it over the plums. Cork the bottles thoroughly.