I’ve been making my own vanilla extract for a few years now and while I don’t think I’ve tasted a difference, it’s a fun DIY that can also double as a cute gift for whoever in your life~
You only need 3 things and about 2 months, then you can show off and brag and beat people over the head with your weird new thing.
Items:
- Liquor (Vodka, Brandy, Bourbon, Rum, pretty much whatever you have on hand that’s unflavored and high proof)
- Whole vanilla bean (bought for a ludicrous amount of money at any grocery store)
- A jar to combine the two
Process:
- Cut open the pod and chop roughly
- I’ve seen a couple of tutorials on prepping the vanilla but for my previous batches, I’ve had luck with just chopping the bean a couple of times then transferring it to the jar. Feel free to experiment~
- Add vanilla to jar then liquor, pouring to top of jar
- Seal, shake and date the container
- Store in a dry pantry or cabinet and forget about it for a couple of months
- Then find it in the pantry and use it for baking, mixed drinks, or just smell the bottle of homemade vanilla~
- If you’re gifting bottles you could choose to strain the extract if you rather not have floaties but I’ve left them in mine with no issues
I’ve made about five batches of extract using different liquors but I can’t say I notice a difference between spirits. I do have two jars going at the moment, one in bourbon and whiskey (+ added cinnamon stick~) so perhaps these will have imbued the extract with woody flavors. In the future I’d like to try and make blends of vanilla and orange to get really bougie but having the real stuff on hand is fine too.