Boosting 80 proof vodka?

[arncraft]

Intro: We've moved lately to a house with fruit trees: apricot, apple, plum, cherry, pear, fig, persimmon, lemon, grapefruit. I'm keen to try to make some fruit brandy, and have a few buckets of frozen apricots and plums waiting for that. Meanwhile I'm making limoncello (vodka infused with lemon zest plus simple syrup, 60 proof). My first question here is about boosting vodka.
Query: I've used 100 proof vodka (Smirnoff), 151 proof Everclear ( California), and 196 alcohol for limoncello. These are not cheap. Much cheaper is 80 proof vodka, sometimes $9 for 1.75 liter, compared to $28 for 100 proof Smirnoff. I'm told that 80 proof is too weak to extract the lemon essence, plus you may have off tastes. (Though I do have a batch of 80 proof with zest working just to see how that goes.)
I'd like advice about distilling the cheap 80 proof to get stronger stuff minus off tastes. I have a new one gallon electric distiller.
1) Can I expect to get a reliable measure of alcohol with an alcoholometer? (I know this doesn't work for mash) I will want to cut to 60 proof with water and sugar, and need to know what I start with.
2) What of heads and tails? Any need to separate heads? How much? (1.75 L run) I would guess the tails might have off tastes, how much to separate?

I'm delighted to find this site, and will soon have queries about fruit brandy. Today it's boosting vodka. All help and suggestions welcome.

[Dnderhead]

Welcome You should git a good reading with a hydrometer , vodka is alcohol and water,, as to rerunning you should dilute to 40-50% then rerun (depending on still)
with cuts most likely you will have to take some, as most commercial distillers are "greedy" how much? use the "small jar" method.

(by the way a hydrometer will work with mash)

[arncraft]

Thanks for the advice. But to clarify, I take it you are suggesting I add water to the vodka to distill it?
(You use the term 're-run'. I take this to mean my first 'run' with the vodka. Is that right?)
And, in separating heads and tails, is there anything I should look for to discard? Off-taste, I guess. And at the end I would look for low alcohol to discard. Is that about it?
Thanks, again!

[Dnderhead]

Yes add water then distill (high proof is not good in still) if it is less than 80 proof(40%) you don't have to worry about it.
( unless you have internal element, that needs to be covered with water at all times)
as far as "cuts" they should be small as it has been done once, but how much is still in it I have no idea, so if if you catch
the distillate in small jars you can pick out the parts you want. (you will fiend more in most "cheep" booze than in "good" booze)
(small jars/containers are a good training tool)
if you can why not make a sugar wash? , it whould be much cheaper than buying and distilling.
you will end up with about the same thing. I whould suggest gerbers.(cereal/sugar/water/yeast)

[arncraft]

Thanks for the tip about the Gerber cereal wash. (I found it in Tried and True) I've got three 1.75 L bottles of 80 proof vodka to run first but I will want to try the cereal as my first wash effort.
Are their tips here on using alcohol, say from the Gerber recipe, with fruit to produce a fruit flavored brandy?

[Dnderhead]

one that is a big hit pantie dropper,(fruit flavored vodka) same recipe/tekneak can be used with other fruit.
wont be real brandy, witch is distilled wine, but it will be a hit with the ladies

[arncraft]

Thanks. With the fruit trees we have I expect to distill some real fruit brandies -- pear, plum, apricot. But I think my wife expects these to taste like fruit. The flavored alcohol may suit her better.

[arncraft]

Thanks for all the advice. I've distilled 2 runs of the 80 proof vodka (1.75 liter, $8.99), cut with distilled water. I discarded first 50ml. Then run a quart at 105-110 proof. The tails I put in lemonade. I have 2 jars of the distill each working with 4 oz of lemon zest. I'll let it sit for a month.
Note, I said above that I had heard that 80 proof was too weak for a good infusion for limoncello. Yet, I tried it. Seemed OK to me, maybe just let is sit longer than you would with stronger vodka. But a pal said the bottle I sent him had 'vodka tastes'. This may have been offtastes from the vodka, or maybe funky lemons.
Because I've got lemons from our own trees, I've used many you wouldn't see in the market. Maybe some with bad spots? I'm smarter than that now.
Now, I'm looking for the plum recipe. Lots in the freezer. Apricots too.
I have bought some Gerber's and do plan to run it for limoncello at some time, but when I see 1.75, 80 proof at $8.99, it's hard to pass.
When I figure out pics, I'll post some of the product.

[LWTCS]

Gerber or All Bran (20 liter wash) renders 2.75 for $12 in my market. Hard to pass up.

Matter factly, I got it lower than that after my bulk yeast purchase.

[Dnderhead]

most fruit does not have that much sugar, so you will have to add some, also doing fruit much like wine it does not taste like the fruit
that it was made of. if want it to taste like the fruit, save out some of the best to back sweeten with.