Mascerating

[Ndb]

Hey informed ones. NOOB question

When mascertaing fruits in a nuetral for liquers am i better off mascerating at a higher ABV say 60% then diluting down to my final ABV what ever that will be say 20%.

[still_stirrin]

Hey informed ones. NOOB question

When mascertaing fruits in a nuetral for liquers am i better off mascerating at a higher ABV say 60% then diluting down to my final ABV what ever that will be say 20%.

Macerating at higher %ABV will extract more of the flavors from the fruit. But sometimes those flavors can get “sharp”, as in acidic. It definitely depends on what fruit you’re using. Oranges, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries do fine at higher purity macerations. But rhubarb might get a little “sharp” when macerated at higher %ABV. I’ve not macerated lemons or limes to know what is the best approach for them. Kiwi fruit, I’d think, is like strawberry when giving up its flavors. Watermelon may work better with lower %ABV to macerate.

So, I like to use a neutral distilled to 90%, and then I’ll bring it down to 70% ABV, or so, for maceration. And then, after you pull the liquor from the fruit, you can temper it down to where you want to bottle it. And keep in mind that if you add sugar to the fruit after maceration, the sweet liquor will further dilute your liquor. See the panty dropper recipe in the T&T forum for discussions on “how to”.

Experiment and see what you like. Go on … it’s fun to “try your hand” at something new.
ss

[Ndb]

Hey informed ones. NOOB question

When mascertaing fruits in a nuetral for liquers am i better off mascerating at a higher ABV say 60% then diluting down to my final ABV what ever that will be say 20%.

Macerating at higher %ABV will extract more of the flavors from the fruit. But sometimes those flavors can get “sharp”, as in acidic. It definitely depends on what fruit you’re using. Oranges, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries do fine at higher purity macerations. But rhubarb might get a little “sharp” when macerated at higher %ABV. I’ve not macerated lemons or limes to know what is the best approach for them. Kiwi fruit, I’d think, is like strawberry when giving up its flavors. Watermelon may work better with lower %ABV to macerate.

So, I like to use a neutral distilled to 90%, and then I’ll bring it down to 70% ABV, or so, for maceration. And then, after you pull the liquor from the fruit, you can temper it down to where you want to bottle it. And keep in mind that if you add sugar to the fruit after maceration, the sweet liquor will further dilute your liquor. See the panty dropper recipe in the T&T forum for discussions on “how to”.

Experiment and see what you like. Go on … it’s fun to “try your hand” at something new.
ss

Thanks. Im going to have a crack at raspberries and blackberries when in season. The Miso loves chambord

[Dougmatt]

I macerate at 60%+ usually. As was noted by ss some things may get sharp, especially if you let them go too long, but higher proof pulls faster and imo stronger, more intense flavors. I’ve done a lot of limoncello at various proofs. Many recipes say commercial vodka at around 40% which I think is because that’s what they can easily buy. While people report good results, I find it bland when done in the 40’s and it takes weeks longer than at 60-90%. Similar results with panty droppers mentioned abov and I’ve done strawberry numerous times (house favorite) plus other fruits. Higher proof has worked well for me.

Regardless I would not go below 40% on fruit if I could help it. Your 20% mentioned might be, for lack of better words, mild, flabby and bland at least to me. Also typically these get mixed with other things like lemonade, Tonic water, soda etc as a long drink which will bring the Abv down so I proof them down to 35-40 for storage, and expect them to dilute into other long drinks.

Hope this helps.

[NZChris]

I dilute with the fruit. E.g., I put enough enough ethanol in the jar, so that when it's full of sugar and fruit, the liquid in the jar will be my target finished ABV and grams/100ml of sugar, taking into account the water, the sugar and the dry matter in the fruit.

For berries, I do my calculations, put the required amount of ethanol, water and sugar in the jar, then pick the berries straight into the jar.

[Demy]

I add to the discussion that the maceration time also plays an important role. You have to experiment and taste to understand how to proceed ..
More time it doesn't mean better, sometimes a day is enough to extract all the flavor without compromising the taste.