[The middle bottle of vanilla extract is but a week old...just think how great it will be in six months.]
Last week my friend Courtney asked me if I had any favorite homemade food gifts and I said no. And, then I remembered that homemade vanilla would be a great little gift. I couldn’t stop thinking about the vanilla and that it was time to make some, for my own use. I have made, and gone through at least 10 batches of vanilla since I started making it last year and I finally killed my giant bottle of Skyy vodka on extract alone…and no, I’m not making vanilla martinis. It is all for baking.
I wandered into the liquor store thinking it would be fun to make some vanilla (for myself and for Christmas gifts) with a regional vodka. Several Texas vodkas have gotten good press lately. But, then I saw the lovely little bottle of Dripping Springs Vodka. This company was very present at the Foodways Texas Symposium, helping to keep all of the oysters sliding down. The liquor store salesman then walked over and gave an impressive testimonial on the Dripping Springs Vodka, saying that not only was it a superior vodka but that the company was very hands-on and passionate in their promotion of this elixir. He made the obvious point that I should just do a side by side sipping test. I then had to go into the bizarre sounding song and dance about how, no, I couldn’t do that because I don’t drink alcohol but that I needed good vodka so I could consume a liter of it in cookies. I bought several 750 ml bottles of Dripping Springs Vodka.
I make extract by heating the vodka and adding the beans to it. I had been curious the last few times that I warmed vodka for this recipe whether or not I was harming the vodka or decreasing its potency by warming it too much. Many of the recipes on the internet do not call for warming. The warming aspect pleases me though. It seems to give you a jump start on the extraction of the flavors. I use the method recommended by Cook’s Illustrated. But they didn’t give a temperature for “hot” vodka. So, I decided to ask the folks at dripping springs what they thought about the matter. I received a quick response from Gary Kelleher, none other than the Dripping Springs Master Distiller, letting me know that I could warm it to 110 degrees without damaging the flavor profile during infusion. This might not be as big an issue with all vodka, but since I was trying to make a regionally interesting gift, I didn’t want to kill the very aspects that make this a Texas vodka, namely the flavors from the water present in the vodka.
“By definition, 80 proof vodka contains 40% alcohol by volume. The remaining 60% is water. As such, a Vodka´s quality and taste is dependent on the quality and taste of the water added. We use only the finest spring water available — pure, mineral rich Hill Country Artesian Spring Water. Soft and flavorful, the water rounds out the vodka, enhancing the flavor and feel. Lush with every sip, smooth with every finish.” —Dripping Springs Vodka Website
[Use extreme caution when heating the vodka. Vodka is very flammable.]
With regard to the beans, if you frequent this website you know that I buy my beans bulk from JR Mushrooms. I wouldn’t even consider doing this with store bought vanilla beans because the cost would be absolutely prohibitive. But with the beans I buy (and you can go in on it with a friend and buy the 1 pound bag, depending on how much vanilla you think you can use in a year) I get my cost down to around $5 for the 9 beans I need to make a bottle this size. There are several distributors on Amazon with great prices. I can only vouch for JR Mushrooms as a source. Theirs are big, fat, happy vanilla beans. I’m not enough of a connoisseur to tell you they are the finest beans on the planet, but I have been very happy with them. I will never ever again buy a vanilla bean at the grocery store. Of that, I can assure you. (I worry that I am starting to sound like a pitch person, so let me just say that I found these beans randomly on Amazon, and I pay for them myself, and JR Mushrooms doesn’t know me from Adam’s housecat).
I used 9 beans per bottle. I have seen people suggest far more, and Cook’s Illustrated actually uses less, but 9 is where I landed. Between the vodka and the beans, I spent about $25 on each bottle that I made. I am going to keep them hidden in a cupboard and give them away at Christmas when they are nice and strong. But, if you are making this for personal use, a month is sufficient time to wait before using it.
I have read several accounts of people (including Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa) using a bottle of homemade vanilla extract over the course of years and years. All you have to do is periodically add enough new vodka to fill the bottle again, and perhaps throw in a new bean now and again.
[The bottom right photo shows 2 bottles. The one on the right was just poured and the one on the left was made a week prior.]
Preparation:
If you want the small recipe, see my original Homemade Vanilla post. This post is for a 750 ml bottle of vodka. You will need:
a thermometer
a funnel
a large container with a pouring spout
a 750 ml bottle of Dripping Springs Vodka (or any other vodka)–do not discard the lid
9 vanilla beans
Split the vanilla beans and scrape the beans from half of them. Pour the vodka into a small saucepan and begin to gently heat it to 110 degrees. USE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE HEATING THE VODKA. VODKA IS VERY FLAMMABLE. (See notes at the bottom of the page). Place all of the vanilla beans and the scraped seeds into the empty vodka bottle. When the vodka reaches 110 degrees, remove it from the heat. Depending on how neat you are, you can either pour the vodka directly in the bottle through the funnel. Or, you can pour the vodka into a container with a pouring spout (like the 4-cup glass measure shown) and then pour it into the bottle through the funnel.
For some reason (whether it is the heating or the displacement from the beans, I do not know) I always have more vodka to pour back than will fit in the bottle. So pour slowly so that you don’t have an overflow…which is hot, and messy, and could damage the pretty label.
Replace the lid to the vodka bottle but do not screw it down tightly. Put the vodka bottle in a brown paper bag and put it out of direct sunlight. When the bottle has cooled down, screw the lid on tightly and give the bottle a little shake. For the next few weeks, try to remember to shake the bottle every few days to distribute the beans and seeds. In a month it is ready to go. Or, put it away and let it continue to get even more wonderful.
Note:
Friends, please see the comment below by Maureen about using a water bath to warm the vodka, thereby avoiding any risk of exposing the vodka to an open flame. It is a great idea and I am thankful that she added it to the discussion. I will try that method next time!
I want to make this right now, Kelly! In fact, I have always bought Mexican vanilla when I went to Padre Island, but haven’t been in awhile. I actually bought a bottle of vanilla at Williams Sonoma last week, but am not thrilled with the taste. Thanks for this fun-sounding treat!
Now……in exactly which cabinet are they stored???????
Hey Kelly! This looks so wonderful. Here in Italy I am forced to either bring Mexican vanilla in my suitcase or use the POWDERED VANILLA (: they sell in the store here.
My preference for making it here at home would be to use the award winning Tito’s Vodka from Austin; the first vodka of Austin and some say the best produced anywhere. Look Tito’s up at http://www.titosvodka.com.
Powdered?? Yikes. I hope this saves you from the powdered vanilla. We are certainly “regionally blessed” here in Texas in the vodka department. Tito’s and Dripping Springs are both great options.
(I’m not sure I need to mention this but it came up earlier…you all know I’m making this for baking, right?…but if anyone comes up with a good vanilla martini recipe for my more festive readers…I’d be happy to pass it along.)
Why do you have to heat the vodka, if you don’t mind my asking? I’ve been making my own vanilla for about a year with beans and vodka and have never heated it, always with good results.
Thanks!
Anna, I started heating the vodka because that was the suggestion made by Cook’s Illustrated when I started on this kick myself several years ago. My understanding is that the heat simply kick starts the extraction process, and that like so many other things like tea or soup, for instance, the heat brings the flavors together. I also wonder, but have not done a controlled experiment, whether the heating is what makes this vanilla usable so quickly (weeks as opposed to months) but that is just a hunch. I have come to truly appreciate the copious testing that CI does and I feel comfortable with their advice. However, most of the recipes for making vanilla do not call for heating the vodka. And, everyone seems to get very good results without the added trouble of heating. So, I would say that I have found the heating to work well for me and so that’s what I’m passing along. But, I’m glad you commented because some folks might not want to mess with the heating and I’m happy for them to know that it is not essential. I really wish I had a more profound and scientific answer than that. But, thank you for raising the question.
What a great idea!
Kelly,
I am in awe! I cannot believe that you make your own vanilla extract. You ARE a food goddess! I can only aspire to such greatness. Thank you for sharing. I just found this blog and love it.
I cannot begin to tell you how much I needed somebody to call me a goddess today. I just got home from the mall with a griping kid and realized I had a big dried blob of mustard on my arm and giant flour handprints all over my black t-shirt from an earlier baking issue. I’m feeling oh so not goddessy. Thank you. I’m glad you are here and I hope you return often.
Kelly:
I suggest that you use extreme caution heating the vodka on a gas stove or even on an electric element. IT IS HIGHLY FLAMMABLE and will ignite like any fuel. And be sure to use a deep pot with plenty of head space.
Best
sk
That certainly merits repeating over and over again! Thank you.
I warm my vodka when making vanilla in a hot water bath. I stand the bottle in a deep pot and pour the boiling water in the pot surrounding the bottle of vodka – it works very well and there is no worry about igniting the vodka… My brother and I make make lemon, orange extracts the same way – great gifts with a beautiful handmade label… Have fun. Maureen
Maureen…that is brilliant!!! Thank you for making this comment.
I’ve used both methods of “cold” and warm vodka in the past. Now, since I do sterilize my bottles in boiling water for several minutes anyway, and I have the pot of hot water and the kitchen is already warm, I go ahead and pour my vodka into the hot bottles and add the vanilla beans. Then I leave the bottles in the water bath to heat the vodka/vanilla until the liquid level starts to rise up into the neck of the bottle (as the vodka heats it expands quickly). It doesn’t actually come to a boil, but when it starts to rise, I know it’s very hot. I pull it out quickly, because it will overflow! I let them cool down before I put the bottles away in the closet. By the time it’s cooled, it has developed that wonderful amber color.
I’m so glad you commented with your vanilla experience, Deb. I love making it. I love the way it makes my kitchen and my hands smell when I get to handle so many beans. The finest perfume!
Now I’m working on Lemon and Almond Extracts. My pantry is beginning to look like a serious Lab Experiment with bottles and jars, equipment, etc. everywhere. The hardest part to making extracts is the wait!
That sounds FUN! Use your almond extract to make some of the Texas Tea!
Kelly,,,,this is fantastic. An old recipe I made up one year with Pickles. I bought the huge jars of dill pickles from Sam’s. I drained all the juice from the jar separately and put 9 cups of sugar and one huge bottle of Tabasco sauce in the juice with the sugar. Stir it well, then pour back over the dill pickles in the jar. Store it in a dark place, shake daily to distribute the juice all over the pickles. I did this for 2-3 weeks. The longer the better. Makes great sweet/hot pickles Kelly for alone, BBQ’s, so yummy!
So glad to have found you. I too ordered vanilla beans from JR Mushroom and they have been sitting around. Today I ran across the Dripping Springs Vodka (here in the Springtown, TX area) and brought it home. My first thought was how many beans to a bottle. I did a google search and could not believe you had the recipe with the same vanilla beans and vodka. I am still smiling . . .
Thanks so much for the information. I, too, actually crave vanilla and always use much more than called for.
I’m glad you found me, too! Come back often, Janet. I’ve had my bottles brewing untouched since summer and I’m just about to open the first one. I’ve given several away, as well. Good stuff.
Kelly,
Great information. I’m over here in Louisiana and just yesterday went by and got a fifth of Tito’s vodka since I had some bourbon vanilla beans on order from a vendor on eBay. I order 1/2 lb. of extract or “B” grade beans since my research has revealed that the premium beans don’t necessarily make a better vanilla extract. I also purchased a fifth of dark rum from the Caribbean since I’d read that some folks enjoy using rum to make extract. When I got home from a day at Canton Trade Days, my vanila beans were in my mailbox. The 1/2 pound yeilded about 75 beans.
After reading your great information about heating the vodka, I decided I wanted to use your method to make mine. I used a stainless steel asparagus pot for the water bath. It was so easy and an effective method to heat the liquor while decreasing the chance for igniting a fire. Since I had so many beans, I also took an unused bottle of Absolute Vanilla vodka out of the cabinet to experiment with. I used 15 beans per bottle of liquor. I realize this may be a bit overkill, but I wanted to assure a strong vanilla infusion into the vodka and rum.
Like you, I noticed the warm vodka starting to darken within a few minutes of adding the split vanilla beans. Looks beautiful.
Because I had to remove some of the vodka and rum from the bottles to make room for the beans, I had some of the “spirits” left over. I found a 5 oz. glass jar and decided to try something totally different. I poured the 1/4 cup of Rum that I had remaining into the jar. I then added two tablespoons of brown sugar. I added the same amount of vodka and put the jar in the water bath. After the liquor was heated, I removed and then I added 5 split (and cut in half) vanilla beans and finished filling the jar with vodka. I’m hoping for a sweetened vanilla extract, although it may not be any good. Just fun experimenting. Now, the patience begins… :)
Thanks again for your great (and detailed) explanation of how you make vanilla extract.
Thanks for the great comment. I appreciate the feedback. And, like you…I don’t think there is anything such as overkill on this. Maybe…but I haven’t hit it yet. I look forward to hearing how your rum/vodka experiment works out. I’m glad you said hello because it reminds me that is high time for me to get another bottle going. I’m about to crack open one of my bottles from last summer and then I have one gift back-up brewing. Time to get another one going. Great hearing from you!
Very nice to hear from you, Kelly. I’ll definitely keep you posted on the rum/vodka/brown sugar concoction. It already has a really great aroma.
I forgot to mention this… I see that you have wrapped your bottles in paper sacks to keep out the light. I read somewhere to use a dark sock and put it over the bottle to keep the light out. It works great!
I’ll look for some Dripping Springs vodka the next time I’m in Texas.
“Two great tastes that taste great together!”
I set up two bottles of vodka last week and put them on the shelf to do their magic. I opened one of them the other day and the smell is just wonderful – I have some very fond memories of my Mother baking with vanilla extract. I was going to take one bottle with me to show somebody and I realized I could get arrested in Georgia for open container. Wonder how far it has to get along before it changes from flavored liquor to cooking material :)? Can’t wait to try it out.
I keep hearing how Mexican Vanilla is the “gold standard” when it comes to vanilla beans. My last batch I used Madagascar beans and the extract is sooooo good.
So, last week I ordered 1/2 pound of Mexican beans to start a new batch of extract. I’m looking forward to a wonderful batch of goodness in the next six months or so. If this is as good as everyone says it is, I may be reluctant to share my Mexican Vanilla. :)
Happy New Year to All!
I’d love to know where you got your Mexican Vanilla Beans, Anthony. Sounds like a fun side by side test.
Hey Kelly,
I shopped around a bit on the internet and found some good reviews for ArizonaVanilla.com The Mexican beans are quite a bit more expensive than other beans I’ve purchased in the past. This is true regardless of where you buy them.
At the moment, Arizona Vanilla has a 20% off coupon code (NewYear2013) for all orders over $20. So, I figured this was a great time to order!
Let me know if you place an order and how your extract turns out and if you notice a distinct difference in flavor.
I just had a thought… I bet adding a couple of the Mexican Vanilla beans to your coffee extract would be awesome!! :)
I just received my order of Mexican beans today. The entire mailbox was strongly scented with Vanilla. Nice!
The 1/2 lb of beans yeilded 67 plump and moist beans between 6-7″ in length. I’m excited and can hardly wait to start my Mexican Vanilla extract. These beans seem to contain more moisture content than beans I’ve previously used. Plus, when handling them, you notice an oil that is present on the exterior. These appear to be high quality beans.
Just another quick note…
Today at the liquor store to purchase more vodka, I found some Mardi Gras King Cake flavored vodka and thought how wonderful it would be after infusing it with Vanilla beans so I purchased a couple of bottles to make extract. I tasted the vodka once I got it home and was impressed with the delicious flavor. King Cake flavored vodka may be a local/regional offering, I’m not certain.
I also purchased a 1/2 pint of brandy as I’ve heard you can make some really tasty Vanilla extract using brandy. Can’t wait to experiment with both of these liquors. :)
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