Smoked plum vodka
A strong, dry plum spirit of about 50%, full of dark plum, smoked plum and a faint floral lift from lavender and jasmine. Traditional śliwowica is distilled from fermented plums; this home version gets there by steeping dried and smoked plums in 100-proof vodka instead, since distilling at home needs a federal permit in the US. Treat the amounts as a starting point and tune them by taste.
- Vodka in
- 2 L (100 proof)
- Spirit out
- about 1.9 L
- Strength
- roughly 47–50% ABV
- Start to bottle
- about 6 weeks
Shopping list
Amounts scale with the batch size above. The method text uses the 2 L amounts.
Botanicals to order online
| Got it | Botanical | Per batch | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoked dried plumsPrunus domestica | 100 g | Polish smoked dried plums (search results) amazon.com/s?k=polish+smoked+dried+plums |
|
| Culinary lavenderLavandula angustifolia | 0.3 g | Culinary dried lavender, food grade (search results) amazon.com/s?k=culinary+lavender+food+grade |
Grocery store
Liquor store
Equipment
Know your botanicals
Smoked dried plums Prunus domestica
Polish: śliwka wędzona · 100 g
In the bag: glossy black, wrinkled dried plums with a strong campfire smell
Brings: the smoky, earthy depth under the fruit
Check: Polish-style smoked plums (śliwka wędzona), often sold at Polish delis; not liquid-smoke flavored prunes
Culinary lavender Lavandula angustifolia
Polish: lawenda · 0.3 g
In the bag: tiny gray-violet dried flower buds with a strong, clean perfume
Brings: a faint floral lift; a pinch is plenty
Check: culinary or food-grade English lavender, never craft lavender or lavender oil
Method
Dried and smoked plums do the slow work over four weeks, without watering the spirit down the way fresh fruit would. Lavender and jasmine go in for a single day at the end, just long enough to leave a trace.
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Day 0
Start the plum jar
Halve the prunes and smoked plums, put them in the jar and cover them with the vodka. Seal it, keep it dark, and shake it every few days.
-
Weeks 1–4
Taste every week
Smoke builds faster than fruit. If the smoke is already leading by week two, lift out some of the smoked plums.
-
Day 28
Add lavender and jasmine for one day
Tie the lavender and jasmine tea in cheesecloth and hang the bundle in the jar for 24 hours only; any longer and it tastes of soap and perfume.
-
Day 29
Strain and press
Lift out the bundle, pour the spirit through a sieve, press the plums in cheesecloth, since they hold a lot, and filter it through coffee filters.
-
Day 29
Round it out, if you like
Dissolve the sugar in the warm water, let it cool, and add it a little at a time. This spirit should stay dry, so stop as soon as the edges soften.
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Then 2 weeks
Bottle and rest
Bottle it and let it rest at least two weeks so the smoke and fruit settle together. It keeps improving for months.
Keep it safe
- At about 50% this is stronger than vodka and catches fire easily. Keep it away from flames, serve it in small glasses, and label the bottles with the strength.
- Use only a pinch of culinary lavender, and never lavender essential oil, which should not be swallowed.
- If you use fresh plums with stones, never crack the stones; the kernels release cyanide when crushed.
Tuning the next batch
- Too smoky: use 60 g of smoked plums next time, or lift them out earlier.
- Soapy or perfumed: leave the lavender and jasmine in for 12 hours instead of 24.
- Too fiery: rest it longer, or dilute it with a little filtered water to about 45%.
- Want it softer and sweeter: double the syrup; it then becomes a strong plum liqueur.
To serve
Serve it at room temperature in small glasses, after a heavy meal or alongside smoked meats and hard cheese.
