Anyone tried re-fermenting liqueur?

[Steve Broady]

I have some homemade raspberry liqueur that I’m not too happy with. I’m pretty sure I’ve got one or two other sweet, fruity, and rather undrinkably cheap liqueurs that have migrated to the back of the liquor cabinet. I was thinking about watering them all down to about 20% ABV and re-distilling them, but then I got to thinking..

There’s a LOT of sugar in these things. What would happen if I watered them down far enough that the yeast would be able to tolerate the alcohol, and then tried fermenting them and distilling? For example, say I guesstimate that at a given dilution I’ve got 5% alcohol and another 7% of potential, then it ought to finish at 12%. I just pulled those numbers out of thin air, as I haven’t done any kind of math to figure out what I might actually have.

But in general, is it worth it? Or just a waste of time and yeast and fermentation space?

[Jstroke]

Well, depends on interest, fermentation space and time. The “lost dollars” I don’t chase. But one never knows maybe you find the holy grail.

[cob]

My thought is that you already declared this junk, so treat it as an experiment.

Strip it with a little citric acid in it to invert the remaining sugar as you are

stripping clear through the tails to remove as much alcohol as possible. Then

ferment the remaining sugars in the cooled backset, and see what you get.

I'm sure I've seen this subject before but have no idea where.

[jonnys_spirit]

I vote yes and pot still it. Then macerate/infuse/re-distill some fruits in the hearts cut - maybe?... I’ve still got a bottle of blue curaco and creme de menthe from years ago when I made pan galactic gargle blasters at work for World UFO Day. I don’t think i’ll use those again for anything so could be a fun small batch of something?

https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Pan ... le_Blaster

https://www.cocktailchemistrylab.com/ho ... le-blaster

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_UFO_Day



Cheers,
J

[still_stirrin]

I have some homemade raspberry liqueur that I’m not too happy with. I’m pretty sure I’ve got one or two other sweet, fruity, and rather undrinkably cheap liqueurs that have migrated to the back of the liquor cabinet… But in general, is it worth it? Or just a waste of time and yeast and fermentation space?

What would you be “wasting” … a liquor from your cabinet that you’ll NEVER drink? Go for it! Don’t be afraid to “put on your big boy pants” and experiment. No need for approvals here … do it!

In fact, why not grab some of the raspberry jelly from the cupboard and add that too! Full of flavor and some sugars too. A little of this and an little of that and a LOT of magic and BOOM! You’ve created a miracle! At least you’ve emptied a bottle of something from your cabinet that is otherwise just collecting dust.

“Big boy pants” Broady. Put on your pants.
ss

[Steve Broady]

“Big boy pants” Broady. Put on your pants.
ss

After a long day at work, it feels good to get my work clothes off! But I love the spirit of your message. Hadn’t thought of going even crazier. I just wondered if anyone had tried it, but it sure seems like it could be interesting.

[shadylane]

What would happen if I watered them down far enough that the yeast would be able to tolerate the alcohol, and then tried fermenting them and distilling?

I'm guessing the watered-down liqueur is going to be void of nutrients.

[Steve Broady]

Good point. Since it’s basically a sugar wash, I’ll treat it as such and add nutrients.

[shadylane]

Don't forget to hydrate the yeast in warm water.
So, the yeast cell walls are ready for the 5% alcohol.

[squigglefunk]

I vote yes and pot still it. Then macerate/infuse/re-distill some fruits in the hearts cut - maybe?... I’ve still got a bottle of blue curaco and creme de menthe from years ago when I made pan galactic gargle blasters at work for World UFO Day. I don’t think i’ll use those again for anything so could be a fun small batch of something?

https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Pan ... le_Blaster

https://www.cocktailchemistrylab.com/ho ... le-blaster

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_UFO_Day



Cheers,
J

cheers

[Steve Broady]

In fact, why not grab some of the raspberry jelly from the cupboard and add that too! Full of flavor and some sugars too. A little of this and a little of that and a LOT of magic and BOOM! You’ve created a miracle! At least you’ve emptied a bottle of something from your cabinet that is otherwise just collecting dust.

The miracle part is yet to be determined, but let’s do it!

I have 4 lbs of whole strawberries, blended up with a little pectic enzyme, 2 liters of 30% liqueur, some snow cone syrup that we weren’t fond of, and a couple jars of jelly. I mixed it all up and added water to get it to 5 gallons, along with about a tablespoon of Fermax and a handful of crushed oyster shells. I pitched an abundance of rehydrated DADY, and the airlock is already bubbling away. This stuff doesn’t taste too bad, either. Kind of generically fruit/berry with a tendency toward strawberry.

The hydrometer reads just a hair over 1.040, and I estimate that I have a little over 3% ABV already. So my guess is that this will end up being around 8-9% when all is said and done.

[Steve Broady]

Don't forget to hydrate the yeast in warm water.
So, the yeast cell walls are ready for the 5% alcohol.

Noted, and done. I used a little of the snow cone syrup to give them some sugar to munch on, and to see if the sodium benzoate in it would interfere with the yeast. I also pitched in three heaping spoonfuls just to be sure, and to hopefully speed the process along.

I think they’re happy!

[Steve Broady]

I just finished the stripping run, and got a gallon and half of low wines. I wish I could tell you what it tastes like, but I can’t taste anything at all right now. I’m still trying to figure out what to call this stuff. It’s fruit based, but with a ton of sugar. I’m thinking maybe “eau neau de vie” would be a fitting description.

[Stonecutter]

[Steve Broady]

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[Steve Broady]

Now that I’m over COVID and have my taste back, I’m doing the spirit run. What I’m tasting so far has an INTENSE berry flavor. This should make an interesting drink!

I haven’t decided yet what to do with this. While I think it would make an amazing panty dropper, we don’t drink many sweet drinks, so it would probably just sit in the back of the liquor cabinet until we bringing out to share a glass with friends on rare occasions. So my main thoughts are to keep it white, or age it on either oak or a mix of oak and cherry.

[Steve Broady]

I ended up with 1.4 liters at 60% ABV. It’s difficult to describe the flavor. The best we’ve come up with so far (after proofing down to 40%) is a mildly fruity vodka, reminiscent of fruit cocktail. It’s quite nice, and we’re enjoying playing with it in cocktails tonight.

So overall, I’d call this a success! I don’t know that I’ll go out of my way to make it again, but I now know that it’s definitely a viable way to save otherwise unpalatable liqueurs.