Peaches need to be fully ripe for making the brandy. If you're picking peaches from a tree, or buying them, make sure that you don't pick green peaches―once picked, these will never ripen.

** Note: • Make sure that you have a permit before you make the brandy at home using the still method. It is illegal to make it at home in some states of the USA. • Peaches that are fully ripe will have a yellow or creamy color under the blush. • You can even pick ripe fruits and refrigerate them, using them when you're about to start the process. • Ripe peaches that are firm should be left at room temperature for a day or two till they are soft before beginning the process.

Easy Peach Brandy Recipes

► Peach fruits, 3 quarts ► Sugar, 4 pounds ► Dry yeast, 6 tsp. ► Water, 7 cups ► Stone crock/Glass container ► Masher ► Tray ► Plate ► Spoon, long-handled ► Strainer/Mesh cloth ► Glass bottles • Wash the peaches thoroughly and cut them into slices. Keep the peels, but make sure to remove the pits. • Place the slices in a container and using a masher, mash the fruit into a pulp―this helps in speeding up the fermentation process. • Next, line the crock with a layer of sugar and spread a layer of the mashed peaches on the sugar. Alternate each ingredient till all the peaches and sugar have been used up. • Next, dissolve the yeast in a cup of warm water and pour into the crock. • Add an additional 6 cups of cold water over the mixture and make sure that it covers the peaches completely. • Place the crock on a tray and cover it with a plate. The crock should be placed on a tray because during the fermentation process the liquid may bubble over and spill out. • Let the crock sit for a week. Let it be undisturbed during this time. After a week, use a long-handled spoon and stir the mixture. Then cover it again and let it sit. • Stir it once a week and let it sit for 4 weeks. • After 4 weeks, strain the liquid and pour into glass bottles and cover the bottles tightly. The wine is now ready, however, you should store the wine for 6 months to deepen the flavor. ► Peach wine ► Water ► Copper still ► Dutch over/Pot (large enough to fit the sill in) ► Glass containers ► Glass jar, sealable • Fill the Dutch oven with a few inches of water and place the still inside the oven. Make sure that once the still is placed inside the oven, the water rises to about 3 quarters on the sides of the still. • Next, gently place the oven over a heat source. • Fill the still to about ¾ high with the peach wine and leave the ¼ portion on top, empty. • Place the lid on the still and connect the tube from the lid to the condenser coil. Place cold water in the condenser and place a glass under the spout to collect the alcohol that will flow from it. Depending on the kind of still that you have, the process could change a little―make sure that you've read the instructions that come with your still well enough. • Slowly start heating the still on a strong flame and let it stay strong till the alcohol starts to drip from the spout. When the copper tube on the still begins to turn hot, that is the time the alcohol will start to flow. Make sure that you never bring the wine to a boil at anytime during this process, only a simmer. • The alcohol should drip at the rate of 1 drip per second. If it begins to drip faster, the heat needs to be turned down. The slower the liquid flows, the better the quality of your brandy. • The first 7.5 ml per 1.5 liters of wine is called the foreshots and it has a sharp, strong smell of chemicals. Collect this mixture and discard it because it is only a combination of different gases and cannot be consumed. Once the strong smell stops, you'll know that the foreshots have been discarded. • The next liquid to flow out will be the heads. It's okay to discard these as well. The foreshots and the heads will comprise the first 30 ml per 1.5 liters of wine. Another way to know when the heads stop flowing is by the smell―though they don't smell as strong as the foreshots, they are still strong and not as sweet as the next part of the distillate, the hearts. • When the hearts start to flow, the mixture will acquire a sweet, fruity, peach smell. The distillate will be clear and not milky. Collect these in glass containers. • As the process nears its end, you will almost always have to increase the temperature of the apparatus so that the same rate of flow is maintained―1 drop per 1-3 seconds. • The last distillate to flow out is called the tails. This mixture could be milky and won't smell fruity like the hearts. Once this starts to flow, you can turn the heat off and stop the process. • Pour the mixture into a large glass jar and shut the jar with a tight lid. You should have about 300 ml of brandy for every 1.5 liters of wine that has been distilled. • If the brandy smells very strong, then you need to let it breathe for a few days. To do this, cover the jar with a piece of cloth and secure it in place with rubber bands over the lid. • Once the strong smell and taste have evaporated, secure the lid tightly once again and store in a cool place for 6 months or more. This will help in making the taste and texture, smoother.

► Peach fruits, 6 ► Sugar, granulated ► Vodka, 750 ml ► Masher ► Large bowl ► Strainer ► Glass jar (with airtight lid) ► Wine bottle • Wash the peaches thoroughly and cut into small slices. Discard the pits, but you can keep the peels. • Put the peach slices into a container and using a masher, mash them into a paste. • Pour the vodka into a large glass jar and add 1 ¾ cups of granulated sugar into the liquor. • Stir the mixture till the sugar has completely dissolved. This may take about 10-15 minutes. • Next, add the mashed peach paste into the glass jar and stir the mixture together. • Cover the jar with an airtight lid and store the jar at room temperature for a month. Shake the jar daily during this time but do not open it at any point. • After a month, open the jar and using a strainer, strain all the chunks of peach and other sediments out so that you get a clear liquid. Pour this liquid into wine bottles. • Secure the lid on the wine bottles and let the brandy age for 5-6 months at room temperature. • After this time has passed, the brandy is ready to be served.