Homemade Vanilla Extract

First, I’ll give you the basic recipes for vanilla extract and vanilla vodka. If you want to skip ahead to what makes them different, jump to the end.

Recipe: Vanilla Extract

Ingredients:

• 1.5 ounces vanilla beans, split lengthwise
• ~16 ounces vodka (or another spirit of your choice, just keep it between 80 and 100 proof)

Build:

1. In a pint size mason jar, add vanilla beans and vodka, seal, and place in a cool, dry, dark place for a minimum of 6 months. Closer to a year is preferred. Taste every couple of weeks or monthly.
2. Once desired flavor has been reached, using a fine mesh strainer, filter out the vanilla beans and transfer the extract to an airtight container for storage.
3. The vanilla beans can be used to flavor other spirits or dishes, used as garnishes, or blended to make vanilla bean paste.

Recipe: Vanilla Vodka

Ingredients:

• ~16 ounces vodka
• 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise

Build:

1. Place vodka and vanilla beans in a pint size mason jar, seal, and store in a cool, dark place for up to 2 weeks. Taste regularly until your desired flavor profile is reached.
2. Strain through a fine mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter.
3. Transfer to an airtight container for storage and use as you see fit.
4. You can reuse the beans to flavor more spirits or blend them to make vanilla bean paste.

The two biggest factors are time and the ratio of vanilla(or other flavorant) to spirit, and they go hand in hand.

Let’s start with time:

For infusions, it does not take long to get a good product. You can infuse the flavor you are looking for in anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks, depending on what you are working with and the final flavor profile you want.

For extracts, on the other hand, the longer the better, to a point. Depending on what you are extracting, you are looking at anywhere from a couple of weeks or months to possibly a year or more for full flavor development. That said, there will always be a tipping point where additional time becomes less critical for flavor development.

In either case, the value of time in developing flavors and achieving your desired profile cannot be understated, and it is why it is always good to check on your infusions and extracts regularly. I generally check infusions every day or two, whereas extracts can be checked once a week or even once a month.

The other key factor, ratios and concentration:

For an infusion, you generally do not need much of the ingredient you are using to flavor your spirit, unless it has a high water content. For something like vanilla, herbs, or even jalapeños, a few pods, sprigs, or peppers per pint is usually plenty.

With extracts, the opposite is true. Since you are aiming for a much more concentrated final product, you will want to significantly increase the ratio of flavoring agent to spirit. For vanilla and herbs, about a 1:10 ratio works well. That means for every ounce of vanilla beans or herbs, you use about 10 ounces of your spirit of choice. For something like peppers, you may want to go closer to a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio.