Summer is long, but the season for sweet fruits is fleeting.
Every year, brewing a few jars of fruit wine to preserve the ephemeral sweetness has become a ritual for enjoying summer. Having done this many times, I’ve also come up with a universal fruit wine formula.
Layering rock sugar and fruit, creating a simple yet beautiful arrangement, allows the sweetness to dissolve in the liquor, merging together to encapsulate the sweetness of the entire summer. 
Apart from the craving for this homemade mild intoxication, the most enjoyable part is the process of infusion. The rock sugar melts, releasing tiny bubbles. The bayberries, after being soaked in the liquor, swell and become softer, their bright red color seeping out. The crisp apricots turn into the most vibrant yellow of summer. The lychee jar transforms into a milky white sea.
During the 3-month wait, watching the little sweet fruits change day by day in the liquor is like watching a child grow up. An old father can’t help but love it, and I hope you too will have the chance to experience this joy.
With thirty degrees of intoxication, mixed with seventy percent of the fruits’ sweetness, it ferments together with summer.
Universal Fruit Wine Formula
Bayberry Wine
1、Wash 500g of fresh bayberries, pat them dry with kitchen paper, and let them air dry completely in a cool, well-ventilated indoor place.
2、Sterilize the jar with food-grade disinfectant (sterilization is crucial), rinse thoroughly, and let it dry. Layer 250g of rock sugar and 500g of bayberries in a clean, oil-free 2L container, alternating between sugar and fruit. Pour in about 1L of liquor with an ABV of 16-40°.
The higher the alcohol content, the less likely it is to spoil, and the longer it can be preserved.
3、Seal tightly and store in a cool, dry place for 3 months.
Apricot Wine
1、Wash 500g of fresh apricots, remove the stems.
2、Cut the dried apricots in half and remove the pits.
3、Layer 250g of rock sugar and 500g of apricots in a sterilized, oil-free 2L container, alternating between sugar and fruit. Pour in about 1L of liquor with an ABV of 16-40°. Seal tightly and store in a cool, dry place for 3 months.
Lychee Wine
1、Wash and peel 500g of fresh lychees.
2、Layer 250g of rock sugar and 500g of lychees in a sterilized, oil-free 2L container, alternating between sugar and fruit. Pour in about 1L of liquor with an ABV of 16-40°. Seal tightly and store in a cool, dry place for 3 months.
With thirty degrees of intoxication, mixed with seventy percent of the fruits’ sweetness,
it ferments together with summer .
