pyrocantha brandy

[Buffalo]

I helped my better half make pyrocantha (firethorn) jelly yesterday. I thought about how many berries were left on our bushes and was wondering what kind of brandy they might make. I did some research and googled for it and found some info on pyrocantha wine. I should have tested the gravity of the boiled juice before we added grapefruit and lemon juice and a crap load of sugar. Since the berries don't have much flavor it might be a bust? Hmm! Idle thoughts from the sunflower state.

[Buffalo]

pyracantha not pyrocantha

[contrahead]

Pyracantha is decorative, awfully thorny, makes a hedge from hell though and feeds starving birds in the winter.
There is not enough natural sugar in the so-called "fruit", for it to even ferment by itself.
The fruit is bland and tasteless. Likely its brandy would be devoid of character too..

[NZChris]

The above comments make it sound like they might mostly be useful for their nutrients, if the flavor is pleasant, they might make a nice sugar wash base spirit for gin.

[Buffalo]

The jelly is ok, but as contrahead pointed out not much taste. I am pretty sure the Grapefruit juice we squeezed out and the lemon contributed more to the taste. It was mostly done to see what we would get. The birds do eat it in the winter along with all the Eastern red cedar berries we have on our place.