I have faced a similar issue with making blackcurrant vodka. One year I followed a recipe that involved heating the currants and sugar and I ended up with two litres of very alcoholic jelly. It was pleasant in some ways but a devil just getting it out of the bottle.
I have a book by Huge Furry Ducking-Stool that suggests a Cherry ratafia recipe of 500 g cherries 500 ml eau de vie 2 cinnamon sticks plus 150 g sugar made the same way as sloe gin. Might need a bit of adjustment if the spirit was higher alcohol than the standard 40% vodka.
It's even worse making squashes or cordial. You need to heat the fruit and sugar otherwise it won't keep but very easy to overdo it and turn it into jam or jelly.
