Peach-Bourbon Jam

Riffing on our Classic Peach Jam, we began by macerating the peaches, grated apple, half a vanilla bean, sugar, and lemon juice. Then we simmered the peaches until softened, mashed them, and stirred in a couple tablespoon of bourbon. After much testing, we still couldn't taste the bourbon. Since we set out to create a jam with a bourbon kick, we upped the amount of bourbon in the fully cooked jam. However, adding the bourbon towards the end of cooking produced a harsh alcohol flavor. So we tried adding bourbon at the beginning of our cooking process during the macerating phase. Adding the bourbon at the beginning helped to eliminate any harshness, and left sweet bourbon notes in the jam. Trying varying amounts, we found that a whole cup of bourbon finally gave us the deep bourbon flavor we were after. Do not use white peaches here; they are not acidic enough for safe canning using this recipe. For safety reasons, be sure to use bottled lemon juice, not fresh-squeezed juice, in this recipe. This jam can be processed for long-term storage.