Peach schnapps

Peach schnapps - based on fresh and fully ripe peaches and stones (pits) - is a wonderful schnapps.

Sweet, fruity and with many fine flavours.

Serve with chicken, pork, veal, lamb and tomato dishes, desserts, ice creams, fruit and cream salads, nuts, blue cheeses, cakes, pies, cobblers, muffins and cookies.

Or use it in marmalades, jams, jellies, cake fillings, fruit sauces, salsas - or in any dish where you would normally use peach cider or juice.

Peach schnapps blends very well with...
peppermint schnapps · plum schnapps · raspberry schnapps · blue berry schnapps · raisin schnapps · cranberry schnapps · jalapeno schnapps · almond schnapps.

Also, see how you can easily...
turn your peach schnapps into a liqueur.

Peach

The peach tree is a small, bushy, deciduous tree or large shrub with a spreading crown and millions of fragrant blossoms in the spring.

It belongs to the same genus (Prunus) as apricot, plum, cherry, almond and sloe (blackthorn).

The peach tree originates from China and has a long history that goes back at least 3000 years.

Today it's widely cultivated throughout temperate regions. Peach trees growing in the wild are rarely found.

The tree has lance-shaped, shiny and dark green leaves, pale pink to lavender blossoms and soft, fleshy and juicy stone fruits (drupes) with hairy skin.

The fruit contains a big, furrowed stone or pit with a single seed or kernel.

Peach seeds (tao ren) can contain high levels of hydrogen cyanide, a toxic compound.

There are numerous varieties of peaches, and they are classified in three different categories:

• Clingstone - the fruit flesh clings to the stone
• Freestone - stone is easily removed
• Semi-freestone - a hybrid of clingstone and freestone.

The peach fruits are eaten fresh, cooked (boiled, fried, grilled), candied, canned or dried. Peaches are also used in the making of wine, brandy and liqueurs and to flavour ice cream, candy and sweets.

Blossoms are used in herb tea, and also distilled into liquor.

Leaves are infused in brandy to make cordials.

The seeds or kernels are a source of bitter almond oil, used in food flavouring. The oil is also used in skin care products and aromatherapy.

In Western medicine, bark and leaves are used in cough syrup. In Chinese medicine, leaves are used for malaria and the seeds (tao ren) for coughs and asthma.

More information about the peach tree

Recipe

Use fresh and fully ripe peaches - organic if possible. You can use any variety.

Direction:

• Peel 12 medium size peaches (easy if you first dip them into boiling water for 30-60 seconds and cool them in cold water).
• Remove the stones and cut the fruits in quarters.
• Put peaches and stones in a clean glass jar with tight-fitting lid.
• Cover with clear, unflavoured vodka - 40% alcohol content (80 proof).
• Let steep for 1-2 months in a dark place at room temperature,
  18-20°C (64-68°F).
• Shake lightly and taste it from time to time.
• Strain and filter your infusion into a clean glass bottle or jar with tight-fitting lid.
• Store (age) for at least 1 month in a dark place at room temperature before serving.

Note: If for some reason you are not satisfied with your infusion, there are ways to adjust both taste and flavours - click here to see how.

Serve your peach schnapps at room temperature in suitable glasses. And remember to keep your schnapps bottle tightly closed and in a dark place before and between servings.