Refrigerator pickled peaches with bourbon

6 ripe but firm small peaches (about 2 pounds);

Zest of 1 orange, cut into 1⁄2 -inchwide strips;

1 cup fresh orange juice;

1⁄2 cup cider vinegar;

6 tablespoon sugar;

1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt or pickling salt;

1⁄2 teaspoon whole allspice;

2 small dried red peppers or a generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes;

4 whole cloves;

2 small mace blades or 1⁄4 teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg;

1⁄2 split and scraped vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract;

1⁄4 cup bourbon.

Have ready two 1-pint jars that have been sterilized in boiling water or run through the dishwasher on the hottest cycle. Wide-mouth jars are easiest to use. The jars should have sterilized tight-fitting lids. The jars and lids do not have to stay hot, but they should stay sterile.
Peel the peaches, cut in half, and remove the pits. Pack the peaches into the prepared jars and tuck the strips of orange zest around the sides.
Stir together the orange juice, vinegar, sugar, salt, allspice, peppers, cloves, and mace blades in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and set aside to steep for 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and bourbon.
Ladle the hot liquid over the peaches. (A wide-mouth funnel helps.) Let the liquid trickle down around the fruit and settle before adding more. The peaches must be submerged. Close the jars and refrigerate for at least 7 days before serving. The peaches keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.