Brandy, brandy, brandy! Scrounge from the in-laws I say! Where I come from we only use brandy, but I now realise that rum is an accepted substitute here. I will always use brandy - to soak the fruit in and then to feed the cake afterwards. If you do it my way, the feeding is what takes up the volume - I used more than a half a bottle of brandy when I made a big cake 2 years ago. I am a quarter way through another bottle for this year's cake and still have another two weeks to go (I wonder if I will even be able to eat a slice given that I am pregnant!). So perhaps you can hijack a whole bottle from the inlaws?! haha

If you want any tips on feeding and storage, I am happy to share x