As it is not unusual that we have a glut of things, and being me I don’t like to throw anything away, so when I harvested my first kumquats or cumquats (both spellings are acceptable) I went looking for a brandied version. I recalled being horrified by the taste of cumquats 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 sit and watch TV for about an hour while poking holes all over these tiny citrus fruit. My tree is a Nagami, which has a comparatively large oval fruit with a thin, sweet skin. 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)

Ingredients (I usually double this, if I have enough cumquats on the tree)

• 60 kumquats (cumquats), pricked all over with a wooden skewer (about 10 holes each)
• 950g white sugar
• 50g honey
• 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

1. Prick each kumquat all over with a large wooden skewer—aim for about 10-15 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. Fill a large 2litre jar with layers of the cumquats and sugar and pour 50g honey over the top.
3. Put the lid and shake to distribute the sugar and honey.
4. Let the sugar and cumquats macerate for up to 48 hours, shaking as often as you can. The sugar will get noticeably damp as it absorbs the citrus oils. After 48 hours the sugar should be an orange colour and syrup will have formed in the base of each jar.
5. After macerating, pour the 1400ml brandy evenly over the fruit and sugar mix. Fill the jar as full as the sugar and fruit allow—if you have extra brandy left over, save it and the bottles until it’s time to bottle, and then use it for topping up the infusion.
6. Add the spices: 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, and 2 cardamom pods.
7. Seal each jar tightly or cover the top with plastic wrap if it doesn’t have a seal to prevent evaporation.
8. 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.
9. For the first 14 days or more, turn each jar over and back several times daily or stir well to distribute the sugar and keep the fruit “soaked.” The sugar gradually dissolves into the brandy.
10. After 14 days, once the sugar has fully dissolved, remove the spices.
11. Leave the jars for 30–60 days total, continuing to turn or shake regularly. The kumquats will gradually sink to the bottom and most of the citrus flavour will have moved into the alcohol—the fruit itself will have lost significant colour.
12. Strain the liqueur through a fine sieve into a jug, letting the brandy drain off the fruit thoroughly. Reserve the fruit for the next step to make cumquat paste.
13. Bottle the strained liqueur into your saved brandy bottles, topping up with any reserved extra brandy. Label each bottle with the bottling date.
14. Leave the sealed bottles for at least three months before drinking. The liqueur improves dramatically with age—well worth the wait until Christmas.

Notes

Dip the drained kumquats in melted dark chocolate and freeze them for a special occasion.

Slice the cumquats into quarters, remove seeds, toss in extra sugar and cook at 100°C to candy them.

Make a fabulous fruit paste to serve with cheese—see cumquat jam/fruit paste.

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.