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My Naga Jolokia + Honey came out amazing. Just short of too sweet, too alcoholic, too spicy, with a beautiful berry scent and taste (which is shortly obliterated by the heat, but returns after the initial burn to linger). Really really happy, wish I'd made more, but I won't have any more Nagas until next summer.
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Dec 4, 2011 05:53
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Mixed my strawberry and basil infusions last night - delicious. The strawberry alone was too sweet and fruity for me, but the basil adds a complexity and a kind of herbal flavour that I really loved. Yum.
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Dec 4, 2011 18:26
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Here is a pretty usefull link you could add in the OP http://www.danish-schnapps-recipes.com/
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Dec 4, 2011 22:47
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Help me! Help me! What kind of quick infusions are there that can be done by Christmas?
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Dec 14, 2011 03:50
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I'm making some limoncello as a Christmas present, and it seems kind of... weak. It's been sitting for probably a week now. I zested the lemons instead of trying to peel off the zest/peel/whatever with a knife. I tasted it yesterday by just mixing a tiny amount with water (The zest is sitting in 190 proof grain alcohol so I'm not about to drink that straight.) and it was fine but a bit weak. I think I may have just added a bit too much water? (Obviously this will be more controlled when I add water + sugar to the whole batch.) And it may be different without any sweetener? But, how can I make it more lemon-y?
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Dec 14, 2011 03:55
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muscat_gummy posted:I'm making some limoncello as a Christmas present, and it seems kind of... weak. It's been sitting for probably a week now. I zested the lemons instead of trying to peel off the zest/peel/whatever with a knife. I tasted it yesterday by just mixing a tiny amount with water (The zest is sitting in 190 proof grain alcohol so I'm not about to drink that straight.) and it was fine but a bit weak. I think I may have just added a bit too much water? (Obviously this will be more controlled when I add water + sugar to the whole batch.) And it may be different without any sweetener? But, how can I make it more lemon-y? Lots of zest and time is all you can do, really. Although just out of curiosity, what was the recipe you went by? I typically use the zest of 8-10 lemons for one 750ml bottle of spirit but I use 80-100 proof booze instead. If I was using 190 I'd double the amount of zest to balance the equal amount of water I'd be adding later. That's a lot of lemons.
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Dec 14, 2011 04:40
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TylerC 2.0 posted:Help me! Help me! Look into herbs and spices. They infuse very quickly. Ageing time might vary so try to find something that doesn't need ageing. For example, basil takes 24 hours to infuse and doesn't need ageing. I don't know much about fruits but they generally take a really long time so you probably will want to avoid them this time. Mulling spices would be good. They're Christmas-related and I think they only took me 24 hours when I did it (but don't quote me on that).
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Dec 14, 2011 04:42
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Peppermint! It'll steep in 12-24 hours.
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Dec 14, 2011 04:52
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Telamon posted:Lots of zest and time is all you can do, really. Although just out of curiosity, what was the recipe you went by? I typically use the zest of 8-10 lemons for one 750ml bottle of spirit but I use 80-100 proof booze instead. If I was using 190 I'd double the amount of zest to balance the equal amount of water I'd be adding later. That's a lot of lemons. The one I found asked for the same amount of lemons but for 190 proof. I used a liter of the stuff, so I think around 18-20 lemons. Should I just add more zest? I use the lemon juice (for other stuff) so it wouldn't really be a waste of lemons. muscat_gummy fucked around with this message at 05:18 on Dec 14, 2011 |
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Dec 14, 2011 05:15
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betaraywil posted:Peppermint! It'll steep in 12-24 hours. Or dissolve some candy canes in some vodka if that suits you.
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Dec 14, 2011 05:23
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Hammsturabi posted:Or dissolve some candy canes in some vodka if that suits you. Or just give bottles of Rumplemintz as gifts. Hey so have people had luck with Cilantro infusions? I tried one once when I had less experience and guidance and it sucked a lot.
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Dec 14, 2011 05:26
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muscat_gummy posted:The one I found asked for the same amount of lemons but for 190 proof. I used a liter of the stuff, so I think around 18-20 lemons. Should I just add more zest? I use the lemon juice (for other stuff) so it wouldn't really be a waste of lemons. I use 750 ml bottle with a dozen meyer lemons for my batch so you should add more zest. I also let mine sit for at least 3 months, but you don't need to do that. If you are in a fix and need to get it up to maximum lemon quickly, you can buy lemon extract and cooking stores and add that.
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Dec 14, 2011 06:52
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betaraywil posted:Or just give bottles of Rumplemintz as gifts. I just don't feel like this would work. The bright green grassy flavors of cilantro just don't seem suited to infusing. If you wanna try again I'd take a hefty bunch, just cover it with vodka, and taste every couple hours. I dunno though.
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Dec 14, 2011 11:42
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Joe Friday posted:If you are in a fix and need to get it up to maximum lemon quickly, you can buy lemon extract and cooking stores and add that. If lemon extract is ok, would lemon juice also be fine or would that result in something hideous? (Added to the final product along with sugar/water, not while the zest is hanging out and doing its thing.)
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Dec 15, 2011 00:01
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TylerC 2.0 posted:Help me! Help me! Coffee. There was one recipe I found either in this thread or an older one. 750mL of vodka, 100g of medium ground coffee, combine, throw in fridge to cold brew for 12 hours. 12 hours: intense coffee flavor 24 hours: really intense coffee flavor 4 days: It burns! It burns! Guess who did the 4 day infusion. Yeah. I cut that bitch with some sugar syrup and it made a very nice liqueur.
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Dec 15, 2011 01:32
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Not actually an infuse question but you guys seem to no alot about these sort of things. Making homemade Bailey's Irish Cream. That poo poo is expensive so I was looking at the knock-offs and thought why not make my own. That way I could make my own flavor profile and save a ton of money. It also sounds fun. There are a ton of recipes on the internet but I was hopping someone had some experience they could share on the matter. Edit: I tried this tonight, still waiting for it to chill. HOMEMADE BAILEY's 1 1/4 C. light cream 11 oz. sweetened condensed milk 1 & 2/3 c. Irish whiskey (I use Jameson's) 1 tsp. instant coffee 2 Tbsp. Hershey's chocolate syrup 1 tsp. vanilla ChuckHead fucked around with this message at 01:43 on Dec 16, 2011 |
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Dec 15, 2011 02:39
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muscat_gummy posted:If lemon extract is ok, would lemon juice also be fine or would that result in something hideous? (Added to the final product along with sugar/water, not while the zest is hanging out and doing its thing.) I put lime juice in my aforementioned cilantro mistake. It was gross for any number of reasons, one of which could well have been the lime juice. Honestly, the extract is probably made from zest.
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Dec 15, 2011 03:42
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betaraywil posted:I put lime juice in my aforementioned cilantro mistake. It was gross for any number of reasons, one of which could well have been the lime juice. Ok, that's fine then. I added 7(!) more lemons, and the bit I tasted because the bottle was about to overflow wasn't bad. Hoping to reach max lemon levels by Sunday, since I fly out on Monday and I'm pretty sure I can't have a bottle of 190 proof alcohol even in checked baggage.  TylerC 2.0 posted:Help me! Help me! I think when I made grapefruit vodka and orange vodka using entire slices or by poking holes in the fruits (can't remember), those were drinkable in a few days. Green apple gin can also be ready within a week.
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Dec 15, 2011 04:18
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muscat_gummy posted:If lemon extract is ok, would lemon juice also be fine or would that result in something hideous? (Added to the final product along with sugar/water, not while the zest is hanging out and doing its thing.) Extract is a tincture of lemon (lemon oil dissolved in alcohol). Lemon juice is not actually very strong as it is essentially just acids and sugars. I would only add lemon juice to the final product in place of water and make sure to add plenty of sugar. Honestly though, lemon juice is best fresh so make some lemonade and just add syrup to the final infusion.
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Dec 15, 2011 06:44
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Bacon and black pepper infused vodka turned out really well. Made it to give away as a Christmas present, but I think I'll make some for me now.
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Dec 16, 2011 05:21
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muscat_gummy posted:If lemon extract is ok, would lemon juice also be fine or would that result in something hideous? (Added to the final product along with sugar/water, not while the zest is hanging out and doing its thing.) Got leftover lemons? Make yourself a good cold weather (or counter-cough) drink called Lemon Shrub. *Zest of one lemon *1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice (or bottled if you only have one or two lemons leftover) *3/4 cup sugar *2 cups rum Combine, bottle, shake, and let sit for a week. When you're ready to consume, make 1 part Lemon Shrub with 2 parts hot (almost boiling) water for a strong drink or 3 parts for weaker. If you have some left over when summer rolls around, substitute cold plain seltzer for the boiling water in similar proportions.
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Dec 16, 2011 15:09
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So, never done this before, but I've seen some vanilla infusions that seem like they could be great for cooking. So I was wondering if I've got the right idea: I get some Vodka, clean and cut some vanilla and toss it into it. Shake it a few times a day, sometimes taking a taste test. Then when it's done ( A few hours, to days, with some other places saying weeks?) I'll just filter it, and smack it back into the bottle, where it'll be ready for use? (+ probably letting it age for a few days/weeks?) 
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Dec 18, 2011 21:23
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SubNat posted:So, never done this before, but I've seen some vanilla infusions that seem like they could be great for cooking. So I was wondering if I've got the right idea: Are you trying to make extract, or something else? I only ask because if you're talking about cooking instead of drinking, your best bet might just be to buy (or make, or dilute) extract rather than trying to make 750 mL of vanilla flavor. I've used real vanilla bean and I've used extract in other infusions and honestly, I find that you can't tell the difference when it's mixed in a drink or paired with other punchy flavors. Extracting the vanilla flavor yourself is just a way to throw a bunch of money and time at a process companies are already doing for you (unless you're making something where the vanilla really needs to shine, like a french vanilla ice cream, a flan, or a vanilla-only infusion, then it's worth it.) If you're dead-set on it, though, it's a bean-to-liquor-to-time ratio. I'd say--and this is a guess--that 3 vanilla beans in 750mL for a week or two and you'll end up with something tasty that isn't too too strongly flavored. Nicol Bolas fucked around with this message at 00:06 on Dec 19, 2011 |
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Dec 19, 2011 00:03
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Well, I was thinking about making an extract, to be honest. http://www.isabellacatalog.com/p/Everlasting-Organic-Vanilla.cfm?tid=619042201&zmam=7946946&zmas=3&zmac=95&zmap=12023 Stumbling over that gave me the idea, especially since I'm fond of using a lot of vanilla essence in my cooking/baking, which you can only get in somewhat expensive 15ml bottles here in Norway. However, I'm thinking I'll experiment with seeing what it works in, as I'll be trying it out with drinks as well. I'm figuring that it, plus maybe a bottle with nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom and some other spices might help with the christmas cheer. And thanks for the help, I figure I'll try it once I get back home. Experimenting with new stuff is always fun. 
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Dec 19, 2011 00:24
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SubNat posted:Well, I was thinking about making an extract, to be honest. No problem! If it's actually cheaper to buy, say, 5 or 6 vanilla beans and a little glass container that holds something like 300 or so mL than it is to buy extract, go for it! And if you toss in vanilla beans and spices and leave it for a week or two, you should come up with something nice & tasty. That will naturally be done after christmas (and you should definitely plan on sweetening it) but it should be tasty. edit: and if you want to get real crazy, once your spiced vanilla infusion is done, you could take the vanilla bean out, give it a bit of a rinse to get any lingering spices off, and pop it into your extract. I sincerely doubt any appreciable spice flavor would transfer over, and it'll make your extract keep getting stronger. Nicol Bolas fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Dec 19, 2011 |
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Dec 19, 2011 04:00
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LAchristus posted:Here is a pretty usefull link you could add in the OP Sorry I missed this, it's a really good link, thank you. I have added it to the OP. Anyone wanting to speed up infusion for Christmas you can gently(!) warm the infusing vessel to help speed it along. If your bottle/jar seals really well then you can stick it in the dishwasher or sink when doing the dishes. Make sure it is airtight though or you will make it taste gross.
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Dec 19, 2011 15:44
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Nicol Bolas posted:If it's actually cheaper to buy, say, 5 or 6 vanilla beans and a little glass container that holds something like 300 or so mL than it is to buy extract, go for it! Just a reminder of this post from the previous page: Irving posted:I bought a sampler pack from here: I haven't gotten around to ordering from them yet, but others have said it's legit.
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Dec 19, 2011 19:10
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I've just bottled some damson gin - I pricked tons of damson berries, added a good pile of sugar, and topped up with gin in kilner jars then left for 3 months, occasionally tasting to check the amount of sugar. And now, it's done! And put into bottles ready for christmas 
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Dec 21, 2011 20:21
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Wanted to make some Cherry Bounce with rye, but we're not really in cherry season in this part of the US, so I'm reckoning to use dried cherries. Years and years ago I had a really awesome apricot liqueur from just a simple "chuck dried apricots in clean jar, cover with vodka, wait a month", so I'm reckoning this should be similar. With dried cherries, is there much risk of over-steeping? Do I need to be sure to remove the fruits and let it age solo after X many weeks, or is there no major harm in just letting the two macerate together for months?
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Dec 23, 2011 19:58
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mikeh269 posted:I've just bottled some damson gin - I pricked tons of damson berries, added a good pile of sugar, and topped up with gin in kilner jars then left for 3 months, occasionally tasting to check the amount of sugar. Were do you normally get damson berries? Or the berries for Sloe gin? Are they only grown in the UK?
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Dec 23, 2011 23:23
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ScaerCroe posted:Were do you normally get damson berries? Or the berries for Sloe gin? Are they only grown in the UK? The damsons I used for this came off a neighbours tree - she gave us a bagful. In the past we've had sloe berries just off bushes foraged in woods as well. I don't really know if they're grown internationally but I'd presume so.
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Dec 24, 2011 01:54
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Wanted to make some Cherry Bounce with rye, but we're not really in cherry season in this part of the US, so I'm reckoning to use dried cherries. Years and years ago I had a really awesome apricot liqueur from just a simple "chuck dried apricots in clean jar, cover with vodka, wait a month", so I'm reckoning this should be similar. It's drat hard, perhaps impossible, to over-steep fruit, even dried. Taste after a couple weeks to see where you're at. However long you steep it, letting it age for a month or two after will probably benefit the flavor, but that's your prerogative.
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Dec 24, 2011 11:56
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Kenning posted:It's drat hard, perhaps impossible, to over-steep fruit, even dried. Taste after a couple weeks to see where you're at. However long you steep it, letting it age for a month or two after will probably benefit the flavor, but that's your prerogative. Not to pin you down on chemistry here, but how is aging sans fruit going to do anything different from aging with the fruit still in? Does the booze behave differently with the dried cherries removed?
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Dec 24, 2011 18:55
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I dunno about the specific chemical processes at play, but that's the standard recommendation on the infusing sites, and I've tasted the difference a number of times. Of course, I haven't done side-by-side trials, so idk.
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Dec 24, 2011 23:18
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So, I didn't know about this thread and started an infusion for my friend (she loves strawberries) with 750mL 80-proof Absolut (I got it from my family's gift exchange, and I don't have time to drink) and three pounds of strawberries, washed and quartered. After pouring about half the vodka, I heard that you could add sugar to speed up the infusion as well as sweeten the drink, so I added about a tablespoon, maybe two, to each jar. After just a day, the colour already started to look amazing. I was planning on having it done in time for New Year's Eve, so should I strain it on the 29th and let it sit for a couple days, or what? I started this on the 22nd. Thanks!
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Dec 27, 2011 04:22
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Sugar doesn't speed along the infusion; if anything it'll make it infuse more slowly since sugar isn't alcohol, and alcohol is the solvent here. What sugar does do is intensify the flavors in something that's already infused somewhat. I use sugar in infusions the way I use salt in soups – I add it right at the end, when it's pretty much finished, so that it doesn't wind up too sweet/salty after further infusion/reduction. As for your infusions, fresh strawberries take weeks at least to get an intense fruity flavor. You may get some color and a faint flavor by New Year's, but I wouldn't count on it being particularly strong.
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Dec 27, 2011 09:54
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Also, don't add sugar, add simple syrup. Sugar isn't *great* at dissolving in alcohol, so dissolve it in water first! One thing I've done to speed along fruity infusions before is to cook them up on the stove with some honey and spices (this was blackberry, but it worked pretty well). Having read this thread, I'd probably add the tiniest pat of butter too. That let me get away with ~1 week for the blackberry infusion (it actually ended up tasting a little strong, but that was my fault for only using a mickey's worth of vodka).
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Dec 27, 2011 16:51
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Basic Beater posted:(I got it from my family's gift exchange, and I don't have time to drink) I feel you buried the lede. What the heck bro?
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Dec 27, 2011 20:37
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I work 12am-8 five nights a week, so when I get off work, I don't feel much like drinking. The other days I tend to stick to beer or nothing.
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Dec 28, 2011 01:20
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Basic Beater posted:I work 12am-8 five nights a week, so when I get off work, I don't feel much like drinking. The other days I tend to stick to beer or nothing. What? I worked 3 AM to 12 the other day and the first goddamn thing I did when I got home was drink. That's not a normal shift for me though, so maybe the need to drink after such a shift might be decreased a little bit if it's a regular.
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Dec 29, 2011 02:37
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