Testing - Homemade Sherries

https://jamesbonfieldrecipes.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/plum-liqueur-plum-gin/
https://www.growforagecookferment.com/conifer-infused-vodka/
https://gathervictoria.com/2015/12/01/perfect-yuletide-drink-emily-hans-douglas-fir-liqueur/

I think this is the recipe I based last Christmas' plum sherry on, but I did a shoddy job of recording it. Here it is again, possibly... maybe...hopefully with what were likely the same alterations I effected last year! (Although, I must admit I likely used more sugar last year, and I know I used gin, not vodka.) We have such a wealth of plums on the property! Last year I used large Italian plums, while this year I'm starting with Victory plums.

1 - It would appear that Gin is preferable over Vodka. The liquor from the plums soaked in vodka have a taste of prune which, while not bad, is not the excellent sherry I made last winter when I used gin.
2 - 2017: I'm trying different things - blackberries with bay laurel; crabapple; little wild plums; golden plums; Douglas fir needles. We had a strange spring and barely any Damson and Italian Prune plums formed, along with very few apples and pears.
3 - Different ingredients appear to require different steeping periods. NOTE: If infusing needles/leaves in 750ml, is 75g of sugar enough?

800g 400g Plums  stone fruit, or a hefty handful of leaves/needles/flowers or
200g 75g white sugar
70cl 275-300 ml 1 cup Spirit enough to cover or for leaves/needles/flowers, a 750ml bottle of spirit (reasonable quality vodka or gin, 37.5% ABV min)

(Try this:2 large handfuls conifer tips or needles, roughly chopped
1⁄2 cup (60 g) dried hawthorn berries or 1 cup (100 g) fresh
2 whole allspice berries
1 bottle (750 ml, or 31⁄4 cups) vodka
1/2 cup sugar
Leave to steep for 2 weeks, decant and let sit for one week before drinking)

Place the plums on a board and stab with a fork

1. For stone fruit, pierce each plum fruit with a fork in two places. For soft fruit, small fruit and leaves/needles, a good handful for every 3 cups of spirit.
2. In a sterilized Kilner Jar, jar that will just fit all the plums, add the plums and sugar. (Nigel Slater says only half-fill with plums (fruit) and then fill with gin)
3. Pour over the spirit. Seal the jar and shake well.
4. Over the next 2-3 days, shake periodically until the sugar has dissolved, then store the jar in a dark cupboard. For stone fruit, leave to steep for 3 months;for soft fruit, 2-3 weeks; for leaves/needles/flowers for 1 week to 2 months.
5. Strain the mixture through a muslin and check the sweetness – bottle up and add extra sugar if required. DON’T DISCARD THE PLUMSFRUIT! You can use them for baking/jam/jelly-making etc.
6. Store for another month or more before drinking.