Slivovitz substitutes

A clear, dry cherry eau-de-vie: same category, same absence of sugar, same clean spirit burn. Cherry rather than plum, and marginally more almondy, which actually pushes it towards the plum-stone note slivovitz has. In a strudel or a fruit dumpling the difference is very hard to detect.

Best for

strudel and kolache doughs, fruit dumplings, cakes and soaking syrups, cocktails

Best all-round swap. Buy real kirsch or kirschwasser, not the sweetened cherry brandy liqueur sold under similar names, which contains a lot of sugar.

Same dryness and the same assertive spirit heat, with a grapey, faintly grassy character instead of plum. Cooked into fruit it disappears almost identically, since what it is contributing is aroma and alcohol rather than a specific fruit flavour.

Best for

fruit dumplings and knedle, strudel, poached fruit, baking

Any clear unaged fruit spirit works here: williams pear brandy, mirabelle, quetsch and framboise are all in the same family. Quetsch is actually a plum spirit, so grab it if you see it.

The easiest bottle to find and a good swap in baking. Because it is aged in oak it brings vanilla, caramel and a hint of sweetness that slivovitz does not have, so a plum dumpling made with it tastes rounder and more dessert-like rather than sharp and fruity.

Best for

cakes and tortes, soaking syrups, fruit fillings, braises

Excellent in baking, wrong for drinking neat as slivovitz. Armagnac behaves the same way and is a little more rustic, which suits Central European baking well.

A dry fruit brandy with apple in place of plum, so it is drier and more clearly fruity than Cognac while still carrying some barrel character. Especially good in Central European fruit desserts, where apple and plum sit happily side by side.

Best for

apple and plum strudel, fruit dumplings, cakes, poached fruit

A very natural fit for anything already containing apples. Young unaged apple brandy is closer to slivovitz than a long-aged Calvados, which starts to taste like Cognac.

Neutral spirit does the alcohol's job in a dough or a syrup, and the almond extract stands in for the plum-stone aroma that gives slivovitz its character. Flat and characterless as a drink, entirely serviceable in a batter.

Best for

pastry and strudel doughs, cake batters, soaking syrups, fruit fillings

Go carefully with the extract, which is powerful; too much tastes of marzipan. This is the swap when you only need a tablespoon or two and do not want to buy a bottle.

Honest about what it does and does not do: it replaces the plum flavour and none of the alcohol. Doughs will not tenderise the same way and the flavour reads sweeter and softer, closer to a fruit compote note than a spirit one.

Best for

alcohol-free baking, fruit fillings, syrups, cooking for children

For just one or two tablespoons in a batter, water with a quarter teaspoon of almond extract is simpler and works at least as well. Do not expect the same short, tender pastry, since it is the alcohol that produces that.