Okay Guys:

What are your favorite infusions/maserations? I like to experiment and here are a couple of things that worked for me.

First of all I usually only make 750ml of this stuff at a time so that it stays fresh and if it turns out bad I'm not tossing a large amount. Next, one thing a lot of them have in common is a sugar syrup base which is made from one cup of water and two cups of sugar. Boil water then remove from heat and disolve sugar. You can make a bunch of this as it can keep in the fridge for 6 months.

Licorice Liqueur:

If you don't like licorice stay away from this one.
750ml rum
2 teaspoons anise seeds
1/2 cup sugar syrup
Crack the seeds and toss them into the hooch. Set them aside out of the sun for a week and shake the container a couple time s a day. After the week strain the seeds out and add sugar syrup for thickner. Sip or mix in martini.

Peach Liqueur:

750ml vodka
12 peaches
1/2 to 1 cup syrup

Cut peaches in half and slice thin. Toss in hooch and again set aside for a week shaking a couple of times daily. At the end of a week sugar syrup to your liking. Sip or mix in martini.

I have a few more if ya'll are interested. How about you folks. What great stuff have you made.

Sanitas bona !

My mother, every year would take some green gage plums, prick them all over with a toothpick, put them in a gallon jar, add 2 cups of sugar, and fill with high proof vodka. Several gallons per season. Would just let them sit for 6 months to several years. Would serve to guests, each glass with a plum. They were much better then, then when they were fresh. It was always a hit.

Elriko:

I find that using alcohol at 65-75% makes for a much more efficient macerator. It pulls the essences out of your product much more efficiently and completely. When using seeds/hard fruits like Anise, grinding them in a coffee grinder also adds to a better ova all extraction ,when making things like Ouzo or Arak,.

For those a little more void of patience ,like me for instance!,, warm maceration also works very well. Macerating in a sealed steel pot ,like a pressure cooker, at 50-60c for 24 hours will get you the same result a 7 day cold maceration will.

One of my favorite recipes is ,for 1 L macerator,:

100g Anise
25g Angelica
20g Melissa
20g Valerian

Then pot still and collect up to roughly 84c.

The outcome over all is a lot like Ouzo, though it has a little more anise in it making it predominantly sweeter, and the added herbs make for a very calming and relaxing drink.

Slightly diluting it with water to release the oils, letting it cloud up a little, brings out more of the aroma and flavor.

Cheers!


-Alex

Great answers all! John, I ususally use 80 proof but Alex says to try it at 65% to 75% so that's worth a shot. I have a friend who swears by the plums as well. I'm just waiting for them to come into season.

Robert, Great web site! I will be spending some time there for sure!

Alex, why am I not surprised you have taken this thing to the next level!

I will post some more when I get more time tomorrow.

Cheers!

Hi all to infusions and macerations, I have made tons of wine and found the very best flavor is always made from freshly frozen fruits, thats right, take the fresh cut up fruit and then freeze it, at least overnight and you will find that all of the flavors can easily be extracted... Here is why, when you freeze fruit you rupture all of the viens that hold all of the flavor in the fruit allowing them to easily be extracted by our alcohol mixtures, so cut up your fruit small then freeze it and then use it in your macerations or infusions and you will be amazed at just how much flavor you are bringing over, also don't be cheap on the amount of fruit as the more fruit the better the fruit flavor.......

One of the things I learned from master wine maker's was to double the amount of fruit any recipie called for and your end product will glow with award winning essence......

Next is to remove the pitts when you are cleaning as these will add bitterness to most all fruit essences, now they may be some recipies that call for bitternes but I have found that if you are looking for excellent fruit flavor take out the pitts

Alex,

Would like to hear more about herbal tonics. I have many wild herbs like nettle that I have read actually make a good drink. I was hopeing to do some of this last year, but didn't have enough alchohol stored up ,I know, I should have dried them for later,, but now I'm prepared for this comeing season. I also hope to plant some patches of other herbs. There was a dutch site, i will have to find again that had lots of good imfo about this. Natural and wild tinctures are getting to be a big item.

John:

The macerated tonics you can make are about as good as your herbal knowledge is. Which is what I find makes them so much fun. The possibilities are endless and can rage from the subtle to a kick in the mouth. Its pretty amazing how many of the popular drinks in Europe ,and some in the states, are originally old school tonics.

I"d suggest getting a good book on herbalism. Sadly these days it"s not taken very seriously, so there are very few "scientifically" written comprehensive books about herbs, their essence flavor and their physical effect ,Even some of my friends studying neurosciences have to rely on detailed "alternative" texts for some of their toxicology studies,.

Also not every herb"s essence tastes or has the aroma of the herb its extracted from, that"s why many of the tonics rely on heavy, flavorful herbs for their over all aroma ,Like Anise, Fennel, Melisa, Mint, Licorice, and to mask the less pleasurable flavors of some of the other components.

Unless you have a rather huge garden, I would not recommend growing and drying your own herbs. The amounts needed are rather large ,at times almost a plant full at a time,, and considering the amount of trial and error here, this might be a rather exhausting possibility. Especially with the herbs that are harder to cultivate.

I order many of herbs from http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/bulkherb/bulkherb.php
Their quality is not top notch, but they have great prices.

Alex, Thanks for the reply.

I live in the WNC mountains, organic foods and natural herbs and medicinal alternatives have gone wild here. I wanted to go into homeopathic medicine when young, but found that NC is one of 2 or 3 states they couldn't legally practice medicine in.

Seed are so cheap. I plan on perhaps an acre or 2 to try and expand from there. I have land with many micro climates, and am still trying to research what is practical etc. Echinacea being one. I will be looking to either build or purchase a still specifically for this.

I have about an acre of stinging nettle, virtually the same as the seed availiable from Johnnys seeds. The kind that will eat you alive until it dries, and here will grow about 6 to 7 feet. It makes a fantastic tasting tea, and I like to add it to my coffee grounds as well. Last year i found a site that highly recommended it as a macerated liquour. Must find that again. Dutch I think. Was the herb of the year several years ago.

If interested, I am, and you don't mind, meybe we could ask Rick to exchange email adresses, and share more on this subject?

You got me all jealous! Sadly my work keeps me constantly in the urban setting. I"d love to be sitting on a few acres somewhere quiet and really get elbows deep into this.

Sure! I wouldn"t mind at all.
Would actually be really interested to exchange information, in the brief time I've been learning this, I've focused on one specific aspect of herbs, I'd love to expand.

Stinging nettle- Claimed to be good for what ails you as you get older, or to keep it from ailing you in the first place.

But even more importantly, if it makes as good a drink as some have claimed, I could get healthy every evening!

Any ideas for a healthy chaser? Alex? A saw palmetto honey mead brandy perhaps?