real Vanilla [or imitation] ?

No wonder PJ was so potent.....;-) (PJ Grape Juice, Alcohol, other juices mixed up in a tub and well you can guess the rest...ah college)

Understood on the dilution still there is just "something" about Pure Grain Alcohol that seems harsh even diluted. By the way I used charcoal filtered water for dilution.

Dave F.

Ah, yes... I remember a few parties. Sort of.

I agree, it does have a harsher character. And yes, filter the water, or use distilled or de-ionized...

Dave B.

I purchased a 1/4 lb of vanilla beans for $58 (approx 2 doz pods) from Atlantic Spice (online at

severlal monts ago. I tried a half-dozen slit open pods in a pint of 190 proof grain alcohol, and later diluted it with distilled water to about 40%. I let it infuse for a bit over 90 days, tipping it over a few times every week. I was totally happy with the result. I even made small gifts with used airplane liquor bottles, and all who got them have commented very favorabl on the result. I've got a second batch going presently.

I'll sent you a Mason jar in a box with return postage!

thanks - I won't buy the real thing anymore - I only use it in baking. This discussion might do well down the hall in the frugal living ng!!

So, your cost per ounce is.....? Forgive me if I can't do the arithmetic - I had a glass of pinor noir with dinner and I can barely type.

If I got this right, it's:

24 pods cost $58. Used 6 pods ($14.50) in a pint of 190 proof grain alcohol. I'm guessing that was around $12, but I could be way off. $14.50 + $12 = $26.50 for 16 ounces UNcut. Times 40% = $0.66 per ounce.

Not bad.

Dave

(Please NOTE: My correct e-mail address is in my Signature) On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 17:49:41 GMT, during the rec.food.baking Community News Flash "graham" reported:

Price is the main factor, I believe.

Here in Houston, you can buy real vanilla extract from Mexico very cheaply. We have large grocery stores that specialize in Mexican food. My wife bought a fancy looking 236 ml bottle from a Wisconsin specialty company for $12+ and it is just not as good as the Mexican. The 750ml bottle from Mexico cost about $7. Using it in baked goods has never seemed to degrade the taste. For that price why use imitation?

Raj

There was a big discussion about Mexican vanilla here a few months back. Some people are hesitant to use it because of fear of toxicity. Others claim that most imported vanilla from Mexico is actually synthetic. Here is a link to a page on the topic. I'm not make a claim either way, just bringing up another point of view.

You could be right on both counts. Mr. Flores, the spice shop owner at the farmer's market told me it was real but who really knows? I am one of those people who could be fooled. Like with wine. I have to admit I'm not sure I could tell the difference between a $25 and a $75 bottle of wine. Same with vanilla, except that stuff from Wisconsin, it was awful.

I've been going to the Flores spice shop for 25 years. A marvelous place with a marvelous odor. He helps me select different chilies to mix for my Chili powder. He has a section devoted to folk medicine. Not sure the efficacy but I tend to believe indigenous medicines may be underrated.

I love the farmer's market. After a hearty breakfast at the restaurant there, where they serve real biscuits and fresh made sausage, a stroll through the stalls buying fresh produce tops off a Saturday morning. The spice shop is a darned interesting place to browse.

Raj In Houston where it is actually snowing on Christmas eve!!!! Well, not big flakes, but white cold stuff.

Merry Christmas

Actually, (this is a little embarrassing) the 190 proof stuff here in a North Carolna state ABC store sells for about $10/fifth. It's straight clear grain alcohol, and I can't imagine how they can sell it, but this is moonshine country (who knows). The stuff is so flammable, you have to be extrememly cautious when using it anywhere near an open flame (better to put out the flame,or risk burning the shack down). Can't even imagine some one taking a drink out of the bottle. Goes by various inconspicuous brand names.

I also infused the peelings of several oranges in it for a few months, and I just add it to dessert foods for flavoring with an eye dropper. Goes very well with sugar cookies and such.

!/4 lb is the minimum you can order from this source (atlantic spice), so $58 is a lot, but if one got a few more people interested in a well split order, each could have some really cheap premium vanilla for much less than the retail value (at lesser quality).

I did a little searching just now, and found the following:

pods for $12.95 Not much cheaper, by the pod, but at least it's a small order...

For all I know, the straight grain alcohol is that cheap, here in yuppie-land California; I haven't bought any in decades!

Dave

Couldn't resist - I have a cousin named Davida. How do you pronounce your name? Duh-VEE-Duh? She calls herself Dee, as I do myself. Dee

Now I can understand after reading Vox's url about the possibility of vanilla toxicity, etc. why one would want to make their own vanilla. Since price is being discussed here, I might ask if your 6 pods + 190 proof grain alcohol was a bit cheaper than the same amount of vanilla. Can you use it teaspoon-for-teaspoon in your recipes?

I've only tasted "white lightnin'" once in my life -- Yikes! I think I might chose Vodka though. Thanks. Dee

Cool!

Absolutely!

I get d'VEE some times, others call me "davey" but I don't care for that much. I love my name and like being called by it.

ObTopic - found a little bottle of "airplane" vodka and put a pod of vanilla in it and I hope to have my own, home grown vanilla extract in a couple of weeks. About how long do you think I should let it soak, and how much water should I add to the base when its done?

Pure ethanol doesn't have much of a flavor, but therein lies the rub.

In the real world, outside of laboratories, fermentation of sugars and starches always produces more than just alcohol, and there are typically terpenes in the source vegetable matter that are extracted as well. Terpenes can be good & bad, a lot of the flavor in citrus 'zest' is terpenes.

This is why sour mash smells like vomit, and why cheap hooch tastes awful.

The real art in distilled spirits is fractionation, where you distill out some terpenes and allow some to stay in the product.

One of my older brothers used to make his own booze by mixing instant yeast into a jar of sugar water, fermenting it on a heated blanket in his closet, and passing it through a single distillation stage. I never tried the stuff, but it smelled four kinds of awful.

Hopefully your name brands, like Everclear, won't be quite so nasty. But theoretically, you would have the same problem with cheap vodka as any other cheap alcohol.

I don't drink, so i can't recommend any specific products. Used to have a neighbor who had some odd kind of unfinished wood floors that they cleaned with everclear because water would cause it to swell. I once met a girl who drank the stuff straight up, man, she was scary . . . .

The commercial vanilla extract I have states it's 35% alcohol, and contains some corn syrup. If you were starting with straight grain alcohol (Everclear, et al.), I'd dilute the infusion 50:50 with pure water, and add a bit of white corn syrup to taste. Your vodka is probably already near the correct dilution, so you might only want some syrup.

Also, I don't know the chemistry behind extracting vanillin and its associated flavors from the pod. I would expect that some of the components would be more soluble in water than in 100% ethanol, so would extract with alcohol for a week or two, then dilute to 50%, and give it another week or two...

Dave

Any recommendations for making mint extract? What sort of concentration of mint leaves might be necessary--and do mint leaves and alcohol even make good extract?