Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Dominator wrote:Take all the bubble plates, tee's and the RC out and voilà, pot still.

greenguy wrote:So how are the big boys doing it i don't mean soaking fruits more getting clear vodka to taste like raspberry etc infusions
maple,lime iv been trying to figure it out.

My miss loves absolute vodka raspberry and fejoa but i cant get it down with out soaking fruits in it

Brendan wrote:

greenguy wrote:So how are the big boys doing it i don't mean soaking fruits more getting clear vodka to taste like raspberry etc infusions
maple,lime iv been trying to figure it out.

My miss loves absolute vodka raspberry and fejoa but i cant get it down with out soaking fruits in it

I'll tell you exactly how they do it...with the use of expensive labs to create flavours and essences.

If you soak fruits, and then distill, you are making traditional schnapps...these aren't like the ones we are used to on our shelves. They are not sweet at all. The schnapps we see are generally flavoured with their own 'cordials' for want of a better word, which why they are fruity and sweet.

If you soak fruits, and don't distill, you are making a liqueur, which usually have to be sweetened with a sugar syrup mixture.

I understand what you're after and did a considerable amount of research, and at a hobby level it is very difficult to replicate the commercial products you see. I thought of over soaking the fruits for an extra strong flavour, then carbon filtering fast hoping to strip some of the colour. I've also considered vapour infusion, but you are essentially making a gin...

With respect, there are some misconceptions here, soaking fruits without distilling is a legitimate way to make a flavoured vodka. The problem often encountered is the problem of finding a suitable setting / fixing agent. By this I mean a chemical, component or herb which provides a molecular bond to hold the flavours and oils in suspension and prevent striation, oxidation and settling in the bottle. Distillers have for centuries used various botanicals for this very reason. Orris Root ( Iris germanic a,iris florentina, & iris pallida. ) is a good example it has fixative properties and provides a very pleasant base note to the nose of the product ( a bit like violets ) It is particularly good for making a Raspberry Vodka as the taste of Orris is absolutely inditinguishable from raspberry itself.

For your Raspberry vodka I would steep the raspberries in Azeotrope for no more than a week to a week and a half. Filter twice through a fine mesh colander then twice through a coffee filter or lab paper filter, then combine this with a mixture of Orris and water ( also filtered carefully to taste )...alternately for a slightly sweeter spirit you can combine stevia and boiling water and use this as your setting / fixative. For vodka I prefer stevia. The obsession with an absolutely clear spirit is driven by marketing, not taste, you will see that I do not clear my flavoured vodkas, as we found that it stripped much of the flavour, so for me carbon filtration is out.

Vapour infusion is an option and if you were to do it without juniper...it is by definition NOT a gin. It is a vapour infused vodka. As Juniper (juniperus comunis comunis) must be present for a product to be called, or indeed taste like a gin. I have not tried vapour infusion with Raspberry and do not know that it would render a very strong flavour, so i will try a basket next run and see how it goes.

Leaf stevia in it's processed form ( Brands such as Natvia) provides an excellent easily dissolved setting / fixative agent which Louches pleasntly in the glass, is cheap and easily handled. For the first time flavoured vodka maker this is a good starting point. I use stevia in my Rose petal, orange blossom, and lemon vodkas. It is a good foil to these tincture based vodkas, adding subtle sweetness and assuring a long shelf like without oxidation. I personally like the subtle louche ( clouding ) that it creates when it comes in contact with mixers such as tonic..

You do not need an expensive laboratory to make successful flavoured vodkas...but you do have to make a tincture as a base flavour. Using Azeotrope as a botanical solvent will deliver very concentrated flavours. I advocate making these concentrates which can then be made stable with a setting agent / fixative then diluted with water and vodka to taste ...just soaking in vodka will not deliver the flavour extraction you are probably looking for, and will deny you the ability to create the spirit to be exactly what you want by blending. I hope that this all makes sense.
Cheers.

Doc

the Doctor wrote:Leaf stevia in it's processed form ( Brands such as Natvia) provides an excellent easily dissolved setting / fixative agent which Louches pleasntly in the glass, is cheap and easily handled.
Austral herbs?

For the first time flavoured vodka maker this is a good starting point. I use stevia in my Rose petal, orange blossom, and lemon vodkas.
It is a good foil to these tincture based vodkas, adding subtle sweetness and assuring a long shelf like without oxidation. I personally like the subtle louche ( clouding ) that it creates when it comes in contact with mixers such as tonic..

You do not need an expensive laboratory to make successful flavoured vodkas...but you do have to make a tincture as a base flavour. Using Azeotrope as a botanical solvent will deliver very concentrated flavours. I advocate making these concentrates which can then be made stable with a setting agent / fixative then diluted with water and vodka to taste
So are you saying that you make a tincture and then soak the Leaf stevia?
I'm unsure on how the process works.


...just soaking in vodka will not deliver the flavour extraction you are probably looking for, and will deny you the ability to create the spirit to be exactly what you want by blending. I hope that this all makes sense.
Cheers.

Doc

dogbreath vodka wrote:

the Doctor wrote:Leaf stevia in it's processed form ( Brands such as Natvia) provides an excellent easily dissolved setting / fixative agent which Louches pleasntly in the glass, is cheap and easily handled.
Austral herbs?

For the first time flavoured vodka maker this is a good starting point. I use stevia in my Rose petal, orange blossom, and lemon vodkas.
It is a good foil to these tincture based vodkas, adding subtle sweetness and assuring a long shelf like without oxidation. I personally like the subtle louche ( clouding ) that it creates when it comes in contact with mixers such as tonic..

You do not need an expensive laboratory to make successful flavoured vodkas...but you do have to make a tincture as a base flavour. Using Azeotrope as a botanical solvent will deliver very concentrated flavours. I advocate making these concentrates which can then be made stable with a setting agent / fixative then diluted with water and vodka to taste
So are you saying that you make a tincture and then soak the Leaf stevia?
I'm unsure on how the process works.



...just soaking in vodka will not deliver the flavour extraction you are probably looking for, and will deny you the ability to create the spirit to be exactly what you want by blending. I hope that this all makes sense.
Cheers.

Doc

Thanks Doc,
In that short paragraph you have helped and confused me heaps. 8-} :D :D
Would it be possible to post a thread on tinctures for vodka?
That way we Vodka lovers might just get to make some decent stuff. :D :pray:

DBV

WOW!!!!! Doc it sounds like you have done that before. I don't want to hijack this thread but Doc what would you do if you were making peach? I understand that making it from peach would be the best way but if I were running low on peaches and wanted to have a peach flavor what would you do? If you want to move my post that would be OK.

Leaf stevia in it's processed form ( Brands such as Natvia) provides an excellent easily dissolved setting / fixative agent which Louches pleasntly in the glass, is cheap and easily handled.
Austral herbs?

You do not need an expensive laboratory to make successful flavoured vodkas...but you do have to make a tincture as a base flavour. Using Azeotrope as a botanical solvent will deliver very concentrated flavours. I advocate making these concentrates which can then be made stable with a setting agent / fixative then diluted with water and vodka to taste
So are you saying that you make a tincture and then soak the Leaf stevia?
I'm unsure on how the process works.

Thanks Doc,
In that short paragraph you have helped and confused me heaps. 8-} :D :D
Would it be possible to post a thread on tinctures for vodka?
That way we Vodka lovers might just get to make some decent stuff. :D :pray:

DBV