Home Distiller

I was steeping some vanilla in high proof the other day and decided to add some cinnamon and cloves. Unfortunately I had no recipe and didn't know how strong the cloves flavour is so I threw 5 buds in 700mL. After one day I realised the mistake I had made and tried to run it before it was worse. Needless to say that after I had run it, there was so much clove oil, it formed a scum on the top after distilling. I blotted that up with some paper and then watered down to 40%. After a day it was almost completely opaque from the oil coming out of solution and was overpowered by clove so badly it was undrinkable straight. When mixed 1:4 with coke with a few drops of lime it actually tasted alright though.

Coke makes most things drinkable (even commercial spirits ) Thanks for the clove warning.

I've had similar problems with ground cinimon...and that is why I only use stick cinnamon now.
I used it up in a Jagermeister type clone.

It is interesting you should metion cloves. I can eat the hotest of chili peppers. But a friend of mine made some brianni from southern india. and the cloves burned me up. After eating that I coulod not taste anything. Is that what the clove do to alcohol too?

Its funny you should say that, as clove oil is sometimes used as an anesthetic. Read the wiki on cloves and eugenol. It was undrinkable even in coke in concentrations impossible to get drunk from. Lemon and lime just seems to mask about anything

Another thing that will mask nearly all bad flavors is 7 UP (or similar, too many knockoffs nowadays). It'll even make Seagram's 7 taste good, and that is really saying something. It made my first 'shine palatable.

Thanks for mentioning cloves. I wonder if allspice (not the cinnamon, cloves, and ginger blend, the actual plant) produces the same effect?

Allspice works well. But I recommend no more than 8 gm per lt.