Home Distiller

Just got done with a run of a Birdwatchers recipe and it came out great! a nice sweet neutral but I would like to add some flavoring to it. Preferably something sweet like strawberries or peach etc. I noticed on this forum people were talking about using Beer flavoring to enhance the taste of their spirits and I wanted to get some more information on that if any of you would be so kind to do so. I found some strawberry fruit flavoring the link is below, how much of this would I need to use for say
3.78 liters of spirit? And also would I need to add anything else to it besides the Strawberry Extract?

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/strawber ... -4-oz.html

Hey Gonger, head to tried and true and check out the panty dropper recipe. I've made several now with neutral and they are excellent. I haven't used the extracts so I can't tell ya their quality.

Check out this thread for bought essences. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2788

Personally though, if you are going for fruit flavoring, I can't come up with a good excuse to not use the real thing over a fake essence.

Thanks you two! I was thinking of doing the panty dropper, only thing is I'm worried about how long it would take. I was hoping to have some ready to drink by next weekend. Any other options that may take less time?

Also would taking strawberries and blending them up until I had a liquid and then adding them to my neutral with sugar work? Or would that dilute the end product to much?

Gonger wrote:Thanks you two! I was thinking of doing the panty dropper, only thing is I'm worried about how long it would take. I was hoping to have some ready to drink by next weekend. Any other options that may take less time?

Also would taking strawberries and blending them up until I had a liquid and then adding them to my neutral with sugar work? Or would that dilute the end product to much?

I just did a slightly modified SPD last week, 2 days on fruit. 2 more days sugar in fruit, poured off syrup, 2 more days of sugar on fruit. (make sure to add a bit of lemon juice with each step to preserve color, and rid a "chaulkyness" some get with SPD) = Ready to drink on day 7!

Don't know about blending up the berries. Alcohol too long on berries can cause bitterness with the seeds, so that would be my main concern on that one!

Thanks NB I may have to try that.

If I may suggest, search (I hate telling people to do that) for "Fruit Nukins" by Fully Silenced and the SPD. I use fresh local strawberries and have had excellent results with the SPD (and variants of blueberry (not great with green apple)) ... no need to use escenses for SPD/blueberry ... support local production and have fun with the SPD. Suggestion would be to freeze the berries... I am doing more research to reduce sugar levels (thanks UN) and time, but the Fruit Nukins and SPD can provide specatular results. Tried and true for a reason, and Fruit Nukins should be tried and true also.

I have sampled the blueberry version of SPD with, oh, dunno, 50 women ... and only 2 hate it, only because it is so f'ing good that they gobble it down like a fat man at a buffet ...

Doogie wrote:If I may suggest, search (I hate telling people to do that) for "Fruit Nukins" by Fully Silenced and the SPD. I use fresh local strawberries and have had excellent results with the SPD (and variants of blueberry (not great with green apple)) ... no need to use escenses for SPD/blueberry ... support local production and have fun with the SPD. Suggestion would be to freeze the berries... I am doing more research to reduce sugar levels (thanks UN) and time, but the Fruit Nukins and SPD can provide specatular results. Tried and true for a reason, and Fruit Nukins should be tried and true also.

I have sampled the blueberry version of SPD with, oh, dunno, 50 women ... and only 2 hate it, only because it is so f'ing good that they gobble it down like a fat man at a buffet ...

Thanks for that! I really want to try that now. Just a few questions that I'm hoping you can answer for me.

-Should I be concerned about the temperature getting to high in the microwave and evaporating some of my spirit?
-What exactly does Nuking do to the product?
-I want to try this with some strawberries and or peaches. What would be the process in making something like this?


Thank You!

The process of nuking is specific that it reach a certain temperature - I think around 150'F but check on that - this will get you close to, but not at or above the boiling point (theoretical) of pure ethanol (which is what 173'F in 100% state?). Anyways, stick by the instructions - many people have tried it and not blown themselves up (contrary to initial nay-sayers screaming we were going to blow up our kitchens).

Nuking really just warms up the product to allow the flavor transfer, in my observations. For example, product in an oak barrel takes longer to mature in a cold setting versus a warm/hot setting. Also, when used (as instructed) with a mason jar, a big part of it is the vacuum seal that is created - and it forces flavors out of the additive. Compared to the original SPD recipe, the weeks long process is completed in a few days.

Strawberries are described in both processes (Strawberry panty dropper and Fruit Nukins). I use frozen blueberries more than strawberry (get frozen ones from Costco - cheap). For peaches, I found you **have** to get locally grown peaches, I prefer freestone peaches ... imported or unripe ones taste like crap.

Check out both recipes (not the 700 pages of them, read the first few to get the idea) ... basically, dilute your product to around 40 or 50%, add 1/3 jar of fruit, 1/2 cup sugar, a TBSP of lemon juice, nuke it (lid off - duh) to 150'F, seal it shut and put it out in the sun for the day ... drain fluid, add some more sugar, nuke it again, set it out in the sun again for a day, mix it all together, squeeze the crap outta the berries, chill and serve.

I have also used those processes to do:
Green Apple - meh, it is OK
Peach - only fresh local freestone worked for me
Lemon - bleh - gross
Lime - worse than lemon
Strawberry - great - mix with ginger ale or seven up or cranberry juice
Blueberry - a friggin hit - mix with good quality lemonade or smirnoff ice
Mint - turns brown ... taste transferred very well ... dunno what to use it for so I recycled it

I find the tart fruits (lemon, lime) do not do well ... you need to slam so much sugar into them just to choke them down

If you or the SOH likes Malibu or other coconut flavored rums, try adding 1 bottle of coconut flavoring to 1/2 gallon of vodka or rum. ITs amazing how similar it comes out to Malibu. Add a little sugar and water it down a touch if you want it exact, but I dont bother as we drink it with coke and there's plenty sugar and watering down happening with that.

Jimbo wrote: coconut flavoring

Is that the heady organic natural stuff or just plain old kroger coconut flavoring?
Thanks in advance. I picked up some organic dry coconut and a fresh one and neither had the taste I wanted in my rum.
Peace y'all

Plain old kroger stuff.

Doogie wrote:The process of nuking is specific that it reach a certain temperature - I think around 150'F but check on that - this will get you close to, but not at or above the boiling point (theoretical) of pure ethanol (which is what 173'F in 100% state?). Anyways, stick by the instructions - many people have tried it and not blown themselves up (contrary to initial nay-sayers screaming we were going to blow up our kitchens).

Nuking really just warms up the product to allow the flavor transfer, in my observations. For example, product in an oak barrel takes longer to mature in a cold setting versus a warm/hot setting. Also, when used (as instructed) with a mason jar, a big part of it is the vacuum seal that is created - and it forces flavors out of the additive. Compared to the original SPD recipe, the weeks long process is completed in a few days.

Strawberries are described in both processes (Strawberry panty dropper and Fruit Nukins). I use frozen blueberries more than strawberry (get frozen ones from Costco - cheap). For peaches, I found you **have** to get locally grown peaches, I prefer freestone peaches ... imported or unripe ones taste like crap.

Check out both recipes (not the 700 pages of them, read the first few to get the idea) ... basically, dilute your product to around 40 or 50%, add 1/3 jar of fruit, 1/2 cup sugar, a TBSP of lemon juice, nuke it (lid off - duh) to 150'F, seal it shut and put it out in the sun for the day ... drain fluid, add some more sugar, nuke it again, set it out in the sun again for a day, mix it all together, squeeze the crap outta the berries, chill and serve.

Appreciate the information! Gonna try this tomorrow. I'll let you know how it comes out.

I make panty dropper using one day of soaking, one day sugar, drain, another day sugar then mix with strawberry syrup. Make the syrup by boiling sugar, strawberries and water. Strain through cheesecloth and you are ready to rock. Oh yea, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to each step to keep it red and sweet. This process takes only a couple days but it does help to let it sit a day or two in the fridge when done. Everyone loves it!

I find soaking the berries too long brings out the bitterness of the seeds.

subscribed/......