I can be a lazy sonofabitch, sadly. I let something sit for a while, because I'm too autistic (not literally) to do things in a sensible and linear fashion.
Well, what do you know, it turned out good anyway.
I just turned a gallon of store-bought juice into actually fucking delicious 14%+ ABV fruit wine.
Tastes a fair bit like a brandy. And very on-brand for my current piratical mood.
I. MADE. GOOD. BOOZE.
Get on my level, scrubs.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
One of the best things I've ever made was a cyser, which is a mead fermented with apple cider. It was sweet like a unfermented cider but also like 10% alcohol.
I think each of the two yeast manufacturers sell a "sweet mead" yeast which is designed to top off a bit below a wine yeast, so you can get some residual sweetness.
For cysers I tend to default to the ale yeast US-05. It always finishes out pretty smooth and is rated for 9% so you get those residual sugars to keep if from going completely dry.