Banana + neutral = good drink

[Boozehound]

I had some neutral that wasn't really as neutral as it should be (not sure why - spirit hydrometer definitely said it was 95.5% ABV). It had a strange smell when it came out the still and was pretty damn harsh (no-one could drink it without shuddering). Anyway, I didn't have much hope for it and had some old bananas lying around so I blended the bananas and added them to the spirit in a jar. I didn't add any sugar as I thought the fruit would have enough as it was.

Left on it's own it went brown, but the filtered liquid is a nice yellow colour and the taste is excellent. It has some sweetness, but not too much, and the shine seems to have lost a lot of its edge (thank God). I think that it'd be good in a cocktail as a base.

This, also, and I don't want to get carried away here, but I think this might be the first shine I've made that a girl might actually drink without doing that eyes-closed, head-shaking expression of pain.

[plonker]

Hey boozehound, how long did you leave it for before filtering?? and what sort of banana's did you use?

Ive read that a lot of guys have had trouble with macerating banana's, but I would be keen to try a recipe myself...

Cheers

[Boozehound]

I can't say I know enough about banana types to say exactly what kind they were. They were just the standard banana you buy in the supermarket, really.

Anyway, I left them in the spirit for about a month before filtering.

I drank a load of it last night and concluded that perhaps too much sugar had leached into the spirit; it was very sweet. I might try using green bananas or maybe those plantain things next time. I'll also try adding some lemon or lime juice to it to try and cut through the sweetness a bit.

As always, I'll post here if I get anything good.

[Rod]

how much banana

how much spirit

[Boozehound]

70 cl of spirit (I keep mine in old wine bottles).
3 medium bananas.

Mixed in a glass jar for 1 month with some room for air at the top.

[Rod]

Not wanting to drink nearly 200 proof spirit

did you break it down , and if so to what

I know after maceration and sugar up-take you cannot use your hydrometer

but what ratio

[Boozehound]

I didn't mix the water in the jar with the spirit and the bananas. Instead I put a load of ice in a glass, added a shot or two of the infused spirit and then a dash of water to taste. I just kept putting less and less water in as I got more drunk, so there was no constant ratio.

[theholymackerel]

I just kept putting less and less water in as I got more drunk, so there was no constant ratio.

This is why it's dangerous to drink from a bottle of high-test... especially if ya have buddies over. Someone will definately drink MUCH more than they are used to.

For the sake of my friends and family I bottle all my spirits at 80 proof, so folks are dealin' with spirits at a strength they are accustomed to.

[Rod]

I just kept putting less and less water in as I got more drunk, so there was no constant ratio.

This is why it's dangerous to drink from a bottle of high-test... especially if ya have buddies over. Someone will definately drink MUCH more than they are used to.

For the sake of my friends and family I bottle all my spirits at 80 proof, so folks are dealin' with spirits at a strength they are accustomed to.

I'm with you

sometimes with these high flavour drops I run them a bit lower

[Ayay]

Heads and tails can come through at 95%+ no problem with a column.

Running too fast will get plenty of sweet tastin heads including banana flavours well into the hearts.

Heads should be run very slow...full reflux for a while, then bleed the heads off slowly. When you think the heads are all out then turn up the take-off a little for the hearts.

Keep going until the first hint of tails appear. There will be a small climb in temp or two, and when you think it's tails (by smell and taste) then go into strip mode because you won't be drinking any of the output after that.

If you are a master distiller you can keep separating the tails to find the magical bottle of flavour without the stink. I am slowly finding out but meanwhile it's simply play safe or run the whole lot again

Collecting into many small bottles is the safe way, but sorting them out (making the cuts) is another craft that must be mastered. Airing them out for three days, then tasting a sample from each bottle diluted to 20-30% will get you in the ball-park.

'If in doubt throw it out'...running it all again will soon become a chore that is best avoided by being really careful with the cuts. Definately run the heads and tails again, but you can be enjoying some good hearts in the meantime.

[Captain Morgan]

, but I think this might be the first shine I've made that a girl might actually drink without doing that eyes-closed, head-shaking expression of pain.

Dude, I hear that!