Black currant shoots (especially for der wo)

[VLAGAVULVIN]

Well, if I got it right and the question was about smth. like Absolut Kurant and so forth... that is transparent and colorless but has a specific "spring_black_currant_bush" flavor:

I found out, it was flavored (mazerated and redistilled or vapor infused) with shoots of black currant bush in spring. And I spoke to a Polish guy, he told me he knows mazeratings with black currant shoots without redistilling. ... ... ... Do you have more information about this or similar vodkas (perhaps other plants) and methods (data about vapor infusion or mazeration)?

Spring buds of a black currant bush have a great deal of esters, essential oils, tannins, resins etc. A small qty. of buds may affect on a huge qty. of likker. Just take 10ml of buds and add 20ml of 96%ABV neutral alco. Wait for about a week, then filter it. The brownish stuff you got is an aromatic essence for your blending. Add less then 1ml of it per 0.5l of your vodka. It will hardly change the color. But it may impart cloudity after dissolving in vodka. And the odor of your essence won't be stable for months - it may change to a worse one. Aminoacids are still inside to grant you somewhat "cooked soup/compote" off-notes.

Sorry, we do it for a long while cause we need having done it right. Yes, we gotta re-distill it, man. First off, let's add very young leaves (as "shoots") to our buds, about 1:1. In the second place, I'd take at most 50%ABV alcohol here. Its strength does matter: 96%, 50% and 20% are the three different solvents. The weakest one has properties close to "water as solvent". The strongest may solve the helluva pull of complex substances, it has evidently polar properties, it denaturates and destructs proteins and it keeps all of it transparent till_you_add_some_water. So, let's use 50% as it's close to our vodka's strength and it's still quite a good solvent to make its job in a week or two. Well, pour 2 parts of spirit into 1 part of your shoots&buds and store it at some warm place for 10 days. Then re-distill that greenish swamp (as diluted to 10..20%ABV prior to re-distilling). I would do it "on full swing" using my reflux column. I'd get the stable essence with 80..90%ABV that makes no clouds after 1:1 dilution.

As for Absolut Kurant... I suppose they just use something like this

[Kareltje]

Interesting method to make concentrates! If I read and interprete it right.

[VLAGAVULVIN]

Oop-s, probably I should be more brief and neat using foreign languages.
What place(s) in my text you'd like to see re-interpreted, exactly?

[der wo]

Thanks, especially for all the details.
I thought, the Absolut Kurant is flavored with extract from the berries? Not the buds or shoots.
Whatever, your recipes sound interesting. Do you know, if other plants buds or shoots are usable? Which?
And how would you describe the flavor difference between buds and shoots? What would I get using only buds and what using only shoots?

[VLAGAVULVIN]

Thanks, especially for all the details.

Nichts zu danken, sehr geehrter Herr Der Wo

I thought, the Absolut Kurant is flavored with extract from the berries? Not the buds or shoots.

Berries are OK for color as they are rich in smth. like anthocyanin.
I'd say, the currant shoots have more scents than berries. But I'm not the Kurant master distiller, of course
It's the post-modernism just behind your door. They (and you too, why not) may use "non-sportively true" but very efficient things, like those: https://www.junip-organics.de/shop/junip-cassis/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Whatever, your recipes sound interesting. Do you know, if other plants buds or shoots are usable? Which?

In my climate? Birch and alder. You may use buds of the first one and "fruits" of the other. Birch buds would impart "spring freshness" flavor to your vodka. Alder cones are used as softening agent for vodka, too. But I'd better use glicerol there.

Coming back to birches: any guess of the picture meaning?

it has to do with moonshining

And how would you describe the flavor difference between buds and shoots? What would I get using only buds and what using only shoots?

Imho, buds are more tannic-oily and shoots are more fruity-estery, they both contain catechins, vitamins and many other (mostly, healthy and beneficial) components. But we kill most of them by boiling/reflux process. Well, bud and shoot are like unmanifested and expressed, avyakta and vyakta, pre-phase and aftertaste. After all, shoots let all their scents go in 5-7 days whilst buds will part from them in 7-10.

[der wo]

Yes, I know, in your country you harvest juice from the sap of birchs. And you ferment it as far as I know. Birch wine. Never drank it. I could buy it probably here too. We have Russian supermarkets: http://www.mixmarkt.eu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Yes, alder. Last year I rubbed seeds between my fingers. It has a smooth sweet flavor.

Birch buds would be easy for me to harvest.

Thanks again.

[VLAGAVULVIN]

This is useful:

the bud of a birch :)

and this is a bit marketing story:

'cuz it's a birch flower, not bud...

Alder is so alder:

... too long to cook, just forget it!

Coming back to the "juice" of poor birches: I see not much sense of fermenting it (but people do). Sometimes it's good to use it as the neutral spirit dilutant (but beware of your vodka's opalescence then).

[kiwi Bruce]

I'm tagging this post until I've got some time time to respond...good post!

[VLAGAVULVIN]

I'm tagging this post until I've got some time time to respond...good post!

Hey busy man, thanks and welcome back at any time with your reasons and facts...

[Kareltje]

Oop-s, probably I should be more brief and neat using foreign languages.
What place(s) in my text you'd like to see re-interpreted, exactly?

Nono, it is perfectly clear!
But when 1 ml in 500 ml is enough to have a good effect, I would call it an essence.
This a whole new field of ingredients and processes to me.
And I did not even got the chance and time to exploit the Geisten!

[sweeps]

Very interesting post - thanks for sharing this. I make a simple maceration of young blackcurrant leaves every spring. I think I might have to give this a go when spring finally gets here.

[VLAGAVULVIN]

But when 1 ml in 500 ml is enough to have a good effect, I would call it an essence.

Wouldn't me, too?

The brownish stuff you got is an aromatic essence for your blending.

Enuff with it or not depends on the one's own nose. Say, we can buy a lot of scented tea bags that I would mix as 1:4 with some neutral tea. But people like it as is... There's not much interesting in vodkas but still I wouldn't turn them into coke or irnbru.

This a whole new field of ingredients and processes to me.
And I did not even got the chance and time to exploit the Geisten!

Diese guten Geister are very different in fact.

For seeds or cloves or cinnamon or grape stems or lemon peels I use 70-96%AbV: the strongest Geist extracts it well and I don't care of any further haze. Cause I blend it as a drop or two per liter.

For apple and pear peels I use 15-20%AbV only. This strength is quite enough to stop any kind of in-home infection (like acetobacter etc.). So let it leave&forget in a warm place for 15-20 days. Time (and not strength) is OK for most of fruit (excepting citrons): we need esters, not nitrous bases and so forth. If I pour it with 40-50% alco (then filter and boil to distill) I definitely get some grandma's compote flavor that has not much to do with brandy that I was about to blend with.

For most of herbs, fresh or dried as hay, 40-50%AbV sounds exploitable.

For medium caramelized/fried malt I prefer 60-65%AbV. The "darkest chocolate" one... maybe 40-50% only.

P.S. If I need to get the apple&cinnamon flavor then I blend it of two: a weak apple infusion and a strong cinnamon one. If I need to store this final substance as 50-60%AbV then I re-distill it after blending. Or use 2 high-proof, previously re-distilled essences.

[VLAGAVULVIN]

Very interesting post - thanks for sharing this. I make a simple maceration of young blackcurrant leaves every spring. I think I might have to give this a go when spring finally gets here.

Not at all, just re-sharing the shared...

Once upon a time I made it for my father-in-law as follows: 1 part of buds, 1 part of shoots, a bit of yellow lemon peel, 2 parts of neutral 40%AbV alco. In a week chill-filtered it twice and added some sweet syrup. Put in a dark glass bottle that works (in a company with lemon peels) as preservative in my "religion". The friendess of my mother-in-law came and drank it all at once and claimed to have some more. So, I stopped with it

[yakattack]

Subed. This thread needs to keep going. V- I tip my hat to you sir and thank you for the little gold mine you've just opened up.

[VLAGAVULVIN]

Subed. This thread needs to keep going. V- I tip my hat to you sir and thank you for the little gold mine you've just opened up.

You are welcome.

[VLAGAVULVIN]

Seems to be my bottom cent in this thread: alder.

We do not infuse the fruits of alders - we really need to cook them. Pour boiling water over two or three handfuls of fruits [being put] in some pannikin. Then keep on boiling it moderately for 20-25 minutes more. Then filter. Then evaporate in a water bath to 1/3 or 1/4 of the original volume. Finally, it looks kinda dark syrup. Use it about 1ml per 1 liter of 40%AbV vodka to remove both spirit odor and burning. The rest "syrup" store in a fridge.

VV