sweeting your bourbon ect

[lawnman]

i was wondering if people use any thing to make their burbon sweet.
like the pre-mixed cans of say cougor,beam,woodstock ect ,they are generally quite sweet.
i mix my burbon with pepsi-max which is sweet any way.



aslo has any-one used oak extract
i brought some from my local brew shop and mixed it with a few bottles turns it real smooth.the brand i brought was stills spirits thats the products i use,they are a new zealand company who make essences ect.
cheers aaron.

[possum]

Yes, but then technically it is not bourbon anymore.

Burbon+ frozen fruit.....let sit in window for a week or two.
Pour liquid into new container.
Add sugar to fruit.It will begin weeping.
Add weeping sugar juice to other container.
Add more sugar and/or burbon to fruit.Let it weep more.
Continue adding this to your final product container to taste....It is not really bourbon, but it is good.

P.S.Black or red raspberry, blackberry, wineberry fruits are my favorite...I have some going right now.

[lawnman]

possum thanks for your reply but why wouldnt it be bourbon any more as you say?

[possum]

Bourbon can not have caramel (highly heated sugar) added to it. To be bourbon, among other restrictions, must be barreled in new oak barrels (charred) at under 120proof and aged for a specific amount of time. Caramel colors the booze, and could be used to fake the aging .

Southern comfort is not bourbon, even though it could be made FROM bourbon.Searching the main homedistiller site will uncover recipees.
Some people use real maple syrup to emulate J.D. Tennessee whiskey.

Since you are not engaged in a comercial enterprise, there is no reason that you couldn't do this to your spirit.

[Bujapat]

Agree with Possum, it isn't Bourbon anymore, but here's a recipe to sweet pure corn alcohol and drink it immediately(!) without agin'.
I tried it a few times... My wife's like it so that I'm afraid she'd become alcoholic!!!

Bourbon Recipe
1,5 liter 45% Vol alcohol (pure corn mash)
70 ml oak chips décoction
20 ml sweet caramel (home made, no « burned » taste)
2 tea spoon hard caramel (home made, a little « burned » taste)
10 ml canadian mapple syrup (n°2 amber)
Caramel recipe
• 200 g white sugar
• 100 ml boilin water
Put sugar in a pan, cook very sowly, stiring continuously, until you get a nice brown color. Don’t let sugar burn ! (feeling is important, it may burn quickly, givin a « burned » taste). Put caramel in boilin water slowly, stiring well… Then let cool ! It isn’t very easy, but good result !
Wood decoction recipe
In a SS pan, put 100 ml water and a tablespoon toasted oak chips. Bring it to boiling temperature. Let it boil slowly for 2 minutes, then let infuse 5 minutes. It would get a nice brown color. Filter well and let cool.
Mapple syrup recipe
Go to a shop and buy it!

[lawnman]

ah should i point out i have a reflux stiil not a pot still.
so i flavour my vodka if thats what you want to call it or its nuetrall alchohol.

[DBM]

lawnman;
If you age your whiskey properly, in an oak barrel, it will pickup that sweet taste you are seeking in about one year (new barrel). The new whiskey bite will still be there though, it will take more time for it to mellow or smooth out. There is no shortcut to making good whiskey. If you want to improve on the traditional method first learn to make good whiskey the traditional way, then you have a foundation to build on.