Instructions: A sweet liqueur for drinking or serving over ice cream or fruit.

Rinse the plums (do not scrub away the white bloom) and cut out the pits.

Place in a large crock or one or more large jars. Pour in as much of the sugar as the container can hold. Cover loosely (I believe the traditional cover is several layers of cheesecloth but Ive done fine with a regular lid that is left unscrewed) and let it ferment at room temperature for six weeks. As the mixture liquefies keep adding sugar until it is used up.

Strain the liquid (reserving the pulp) and mix it with the whiskey and bottle it up. My grandmother always used a cheap whiskey and allowed the mixture to age in the bottle for many months. However, using a good whiskey makes it drinkable right away-especially important for the first batch. It keeps indefinitely-if you make enough.

Yield: about 4 or 5 quarts-depends on plums and fermentation.

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