Kumquat Brandy
As it is not unusual we have a glut of things, and being me I don’t like to throw anything away, so when I was given a bag of kumquats or cumquats (both spellings are acceptable) I went looking for a brandied version. I recalled being horrified by the taste of them in my earlier, less alcoholic, years and thought that it was about time to see if I could improve on my memories.

This process needs a bit of time so armed with a large wooden skewer I sat and watched TV for about an hour while poking holes all over these tiny citrus fruit. About 10 holes per cumquat on about 60 pieces of fruit = 600 holes! The effort is so worth it. The aged product has become a Christmas tradition in our house.

KUMQUAT LIQUEUR (BRANDIED CUMQUATS)

Whole kumquats pickled in brandy and sugar become a boozy Christmas tradition. The effort upfront (poking 600 holes into tiny fruit) pays off completely—you end up with rich, citrusy liqueur and candied fruit to boot. This is the version using whole fruit, and it takes patience but genuinely works.

Ingredients

  • 60 kumquats (cumquats), pricked all over with a wooden skewer (about 10 holes each)
  • 1 kg white sugar
  • 1400ml brandy (two 700ml bottles—save the bottles for rebottling the finished liqueur)
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • Two 1-litre jars with tight-fitting lids (airtight, so the alcohol doesn’t evaporate)

Method

Kumquat Brandy2

Just a small bottling from our new tree – almost gone

  1. Prick each kumquat all over with a wooden skewer—aim for about 10 holes per fruit. Yes, this takes roughly an hour for 60 fruit and is tedious, but the effort is genuinely worth it. This lets the flavour and sugar penetrate the fruit properly.
  2. Divide the pricked kumquats evenly between your two 1-litre jars (30 fruit per jar).
  3. Divide the 1000g sugar evenly between the jars (500g each), layering it with the fruit.
  4. Pour the brandy into each jar, dividing it evenly. You want to fill each jar as full as the sugar and fruit allow—if you have extra brandy left over, save it for later aging or drinking.
  5. Add half the cinnamon sticks, 3 cloves, and 1 cardamom pod to each jar.
  6. Seal each jar tightly or cover the top with plastic wrap under the lid to prevent evaporation.
  7. Store the jars away from direct sunlight but somewhere you’ll see them regularly—near the coffee machine is ideal so you remember to turn them when doing the morning coffee.
  8. For the first 14 days or more, turn each jar over and back several times daily to distribute the sugar and keep the fruit “soaked.” The sugar gradually dissolves into the brandy.
  9. Leave the jars for 30–60 days total, continuing to turn them regularly. The kumquats will gradually sink to the bottom. You’ll know it’s ready when the sugar is completely dissolved and most of the citrus flavour has moved into the alcohol—the peel itself will have mellowed significantly.
  10. Strain the liqueur through a fine sieve into a jug, letting the brandy drain off the fruit thoroughly. Discard the spices and reserve the fruit for the next step.
  11. Bottle the strained liqueur into your saved brandy bottles. Label each bottle with the bottling date.
  12. Leave the sealed bottles for at least three months before drinking. The liqueur improves dramatically with age—well worth the wait until Christmas.
  13. Optional: Dip the drained kumquats in melted dark chocolate and freeze them for a special occasion, or slice them into quarters and dehydrate them to candy them or they make fabulous fruit paste to serve with cheese.

Notes

Don’t taste-test too often—you’ll drink the batch before Christmas. The syrup turning slightly darker is normal. Store the finished liqueur in a cool, dark place and serve ice cold over ice. This will become an annual Christmas tradition once you make it once.

 

TANGELO CHRISTMAS INFUSION

This year, 2020 (the plague and bushfires and floods in Australia), I couldn’t get my hands on kumquats and our 2 year old tree barely produced anything so I experimented with tangelo peels and a combination of vodka and brandy and the result is “worth bottling”. See the recipe below.

Kumquat Brandy3

When life doesn’t bring you kumquats

Ingredients

Apologies because this is a bit haphazard but being limited by what is available I got inventive. We have a massive tangelo tree and are always on the lookout for things to do with the fruit, so I just peel the skin off tangelos before using the fruit and add more zest during the week.

This is made with some vodka because I didn’t buy enough brandy. Next time I will try a vanilla infused vodka or add a vanilla pod to the mix.

  • Thinly peeled zest of about 12 well washed tangelos
  • 5 cups sugar
  • 750 ml brandy(2 bottles) – keep the bottles to rebottle the liqueur into for aging
  • 750 ml of vodka – I had it, the taste is still awesome so the percentage of vodka to brandy doesn’t seem to matter.
  • 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
  • 12 cloves
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • 2 litre jar with tight fitting lid (air tight, don’t want the alcohol to evaporate)

Method

  1. Put the tangelo zest into the jar then add as much of the brandy / vodka as will fit into the jar. I add extra zest over a week or more.
  2. Tightly seal or cover the top with cling wrap, under the seal to stop any alcohol from evaporating.
  3. Store jar away from direct sunlight but somewhere where you won’t forget about it.
  4. For the next 14 days or more, turn the jar over and back as often during the day as you can to distribute and dissolve the sugar.
  5. Leave the mix for about 30 to 60 days, still turning regularly to keep the kumquats fairly drunk, by which time the sugar should have completely dissolved and most of the spices and tangelo flavour will have dissipated into the alcohol.
  6. When ready to bottle strain and return the liqueur to age in the saved brandy bottles. (label and write the bottling date on each bottle). I leave straining until I am sick of it decorating the kitchen. If the peel goes white you know you have got all of the flavour out of the zest so you may as well bottle.
  7. Leave the liqueur for at least three months, it improves with age. Then drink very cold with ice at Christmas.