Generously butter a 1.1 litre and a 600ml pudding basin.
Chop up the glace cherries roughly. Place the dried fruit, almonds, breadcrumbs, suet and spices in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
Whisk the eggs until frothy and thickened and stir in the stout and spirit.
Stir into the dry ingredients.
Spoon the mixture into the pudding basins and smooth the tops. Cover each basin with a double layer of greaseproof paper and foil, tie tightly with string, making a strong handle to lift out the basin. Put the basins preferably on racks or inverted saucers, into large saucepans and pour in boiling water to come three-quarters of the way up the sides of each basin. Cover the pan and steam, for about 6 hours for the larger basin and 4-5 hours for the smaller, checking to see if the water needs topping after about 2 hours.
When the puddings are cold, put them away in a dark cool place, where they will keep for 2-3 months if necessary. On Christmas Day, replace the greaseproof paper and foil with clean layers and steam for another hour or so before serving with brandy butter or whipped cream.
