Rumtopf, literally “rum pot”, is a traditional German fruit preserve. As each type of fruit comes into season, it is macerated with sugar, placed in the pot, then covered with rum. Traditional rumtopfen are earthenware pots with heavy lids, but any wide-mouthed, non-reactive vessel can be used.
I use about one part sugar to two parts fruit, by weight, for each addition.
Once the last layer of fruit is added, the mixture steeps for a few months, and is traditionally eaten around Christmas.
The mixture goes through some profound transformations during aging. It loses the striking vibrancy seen above and turns a uniform burgundy. The liquor loses its clarity and becomes murky, with an exceptionally rich mouthfeel, verging on viscous. The severity of the alcohol mellows. The pot no longer exudes the delicate aromas of early summer, but rather a medicinal scent, strong of the boozy raspberries.
The fruit can be spooned over, say, ice cream, cake, or waffles, and the liquor can be drank on its own. On waffles with whipped cream, with an ounce of the liquor and black coffee. The fruits have combined to form one homogeneous flavour, so it matters little whether you spoon an apricot or a strawberry onto your plate. The fruit is extremely delicate, saturated with liquid.
A fantastic way to start the day, as long as you don’t have to operate heavy machinery later in the morning.
Single Fruit Rumpot: The Cherry Pot, and Plumplop
As mentioned above, the traditional method of layering the fruit as it comes into season results in a very generic “fruit” flavour. In recent years I have been making a few different rumpots, each containing only one type of fruit. The results have been fantastic. The aromas are so strong and distinct that and I don’t think I will ever the multi-fruit variety again.
The best has been a pot filled with pitted Evans cherries and Appleton’s rum. After a few months the pot had a remarkable cherry aroma with clear notes of almond extract. The natural acidity of the cherries was a welcome addition to the liqueur.
Another notable mention goes to a rumpot made with BC plums. By Christmas the pot smelled like purple Mr. Sketch scented markers. It made a deadly liqueur that we initially called “plumpot,” but, after several glasses, could only describe as “plumplop.”
That's a seriously cool idea. No heat required.
Did you just make a pun in a blog comment?
oooo – it's like making vanilla extract almost . .
I have made this before – with apricots only – and not only is the fruit deadly – but the liqueur is also really really yummy. I do a "Pomette" this time of year, too – that I learned about in Normandy, France. It is something most of the locals make with their tart red apples. I use an old crock butter churn my grandmother gave to me. The crab apples have to be really red and very tart, but not sour. I like the smaller ones, but not the tiny ones. I have to taste them to make sure they will work, but I learned through trial and error. I just fill the pot to the top with the apples (no bruised ones – all hard and ripe) and then take a huge bottle of vodka (enough to cover them all) and add a cup of sugar to it… so not too much sugar. I am taking the 1.75ml bottle of vodka. I shake the sugar to dissolve it in the vodka, then poor it over the apples. I cover the lid with plastic and an elastic, really well. The old wooden cover is long gone. Every two or three days, when I walk buy, I turn it over, then back, just to move around the liquid. This is a huge crock, so I do need a little help flipping it for a minute or two… and sometimes it does leak a bit due to the pressure. It is ready to be put through a sieve in about 3 months and is a gorgeous colour. I drink it ice cold with a twist of orange zest knotted in it in a martini glass. Divine. I guess it is a type of apple brandy – but, in Normandy, it is Pomette (Pommette?), and it is well worth making! Thanks for the reminder!
:)
Valerie
The pommette sounds great. I like the way the Normans think. Do you eat the apples, too?
I know where you can get the crab apples.
The apples are actually too strong for me to eat – but some like them with pork…
So, what is your recipe ratio here?
:)
Valerie
(SO cool to see the site growing full circle – and you quoting yourself!!!)
Came back to this post and see you have added to it – and prefer the single variety pots… which makes a lot of sense to me. So, I will stick with those, too. I do a sour cherry Liqueur which is the same, really – but we don’t eat the cherries. I put in far less sugar. About 1 cup to 1 liter of vodka – not rum… and pour over the cherries until they are covered, then steep for about 3 months. DEADLY. LOVE IT. Have enough cherries, just not enough containers!
Love the apricot one, too – but with dried apricots, more than fresh.
:)
V