Another great informational video by Bartender Bruce, one of my favorites (I’m a subscriber and patron – what he does is fabulous; SO much work and creativity).
Watching this on Youtube is great, but I like having it here to dissect it a bit, and comment on what’s happening. Making liqueurs from liquors is nothing strange, new, or untraditional for bartenders. As a matter of fact. The earliest bartender manuals (most specifically Jerry Thomas’ A Bon Vivant’s Companion) describe and provide recipes for everything behind the bar from the days before liqueurs and syrups were commercially available and we had to make them ourselves.
We worked longer hours then, and were more like chefs and bakers, and had more than just finished cocktail recipes in our heads. Sure, later on people started “small factory” (home, cellar, and garage based) producing these things in greater bulk and selling to local bars; then selling to (or being bought out by) liquor companies, which then added these liqueurs to their existing lines, but by then often changed and massively oversweetened.
Aside from the actual recipe and directions, what makes Bruce’s videos like this one most valuable for me is that I’m able to point out a few clear, guiding principles.
1. Start with a good base spirit. It doesn’t have to be the world’s finest, but it should be sound and not flawed. You’re not going to mask any defects with overpowering spice or cloyingly oversweetening it with too much sugar.
2. Use real, fresh, natural, high quality, organic flavoring ingredients. They don’t have to be organically grown, but they should be grown – and not chemical flavor additives. (There is a place for those, but not here in this category of liqueur.)
3. Treatment of the flavorings is important. The Vanilla is added directly to the spirit and left for 2 weeks to allow the high alcohol content of the brandy to dissolve out and absorb the natural vanilla flavor from the vanilla beans. That’s an infusion process which is known as making a tincture. For the Star Anise, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg Bruce is adding them to the heated simple syrup mixture, and flavoring the water in it that way. Once the simple syrup is cooled, the flavored syrup is added to the brandy, but the Star Anise, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg are now essentially done, and are all strained out, leaving just the flavored simple syrup. The now fixed number of molecules of Star Anise, Nutmeg, and Cinnamon will “tincturize” a bit and integrate better throughout the liqueur over time, but they will not overwhelm the Vanilla.
4. Experiment. Bruce brings up experimentation as a major point not to be overlooked. This winning recipe may have been preceded by multiple failed ones, possibly taking years to perfect. (By the way – make sure you document everything you do if you want to make your successes repeatable!) How much time in alcohol is TOO much before bitter or other negative elements are drawn into your liqueur? Make an effort to read up before you repeat mistakes others have made who’ve written about theirs to warn you.
5. Formulas! A .750 of Spirit, ¾ cup Sweetener, ¾ cup Water… It doesn’t have to be Brandy, it can be Rum, or even Vodka. It doesn’t have to be Demerara sugar, it can be Agave Syrup, Turbinado Sugar, Honey…, And naturally the spices or whatever other flavorings you want to use can virtually be anything else you decide. The Flavor Bible may be of big help here.
6. Aging – if some aging is good, how much is too much? Questions we’ve got to consider. Would aging in a small wooden cask be better than aging in a glass flask? Vanilla Bean husks seem to steep well in Brandy (for several months) but what about other full flavoring plant based elements? When should they be removed, or can they be left in indefinitely?
These are the lessons and questions I drew from watching Bruce’s video. The recipe is a gift. Here’s Bruce’s spiel, full recipe, and method of making transcribed below. Enjoy.
“It’s been a while since we’ve done a Liquor Lab. In fact we shot this one a long time ago and it just stayed on a shelf…in a cool, quiet, dark place just like the aging Vanilla Brandy itself. This one turned out really good. I patiently waited more than 6 months to fully enjoy it. Although technically you could drink it after only 2 weeks, but I don’t recommend it. Go the distance and wait at least 6 months. Heck if you start now, you will have something really great to drink or to serve at Christmas time!
Cheers! -Bruce ….
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VANILLA BRANDY LIQUEUR
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WHAT YOU WILL NEED
2 Vanilla Pods
26Oz. (750Ml) Bottle Of Brandy
3/4 Cup (177Ml) Water
3/4 Cup (150G) Granulated Sugar
1 Small Whole Nutmeg (Cracked)
1 Inch Piece Cinnamon
2 Star Anise
1L Clean, Dry Bottle, With Stopper
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-Split The Vanilla Pods Open And Scrape Out The Seeds.
-Add The Pods And Seeds To The Bottle Of Brandy.
-Seal, Shake And Leave In A Dark, Warm Place For 2 Weeks.
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-After 2 Weeks Fine Strain Using An Unbleached Coffee Filter Reserving The Vanilla Pods.
-Next, Put The Water And Sugar In A Pan And Bring To A Gentle Boil.
-Add 2 Star Anise, 1 Small Whole Nutmeg (Cracked) And 1 Inch Piece Cinnamon.
-Stir Well To Dissolve The Sugar, Remove From The Heat, And Leave To Cool.
-Strain The Syrup And Mix With The Infused Brandy.
-Pour Into A Bottle And Add The Reserved Vanilla Pods.
-Seal And Store In A Dark, Dry Place And Forget About It For 6 Months To A Year. The Longer It Rests, The Better It Will Taste. Keeps Indefinitely.
CREDITS:
Select Music By Bruce
Select music provided by Audioblocks.com
Select graphics provided by pngtree.com, wikimedia
Video production and post production by Rev Media Group
www.revmediagroup.com
The content found in “BAR TALK & COCKTAILS” is for informational purposes only and is in no way intended for the consumption of alcohol or advice on drinking alcoholic beverages or as treatment cure for any health condition and nor should it be construed as such.
Always drink responsibly. Please understand that you assume all risks from the use, non use, or misuse of this information.
Any resemblance between the characters portrayed in this show and any persons living or dead, is merely a coincidence and certainly a miracle.
#cocktails #liquor #brandy #homemade #vanilla #bartending #liqueur #homebrew"
Site Author, David J. Curtis: David Curtis, a seasoned professional with decades of bartending and bar management experience began his career in Midtown Manhattan, NY, tending and managing bars before diving into Manhattan’s bustling nightlife club scene. Over the years, he has mastered high-volume, high-pressure bartending as the lead bartender in iconic Midtown clubs and tended bar briefly in the Wall Street area, generating over $1,350,000.00 annually in personal drink sales. He has since extended his expertise to establishments in Georgia and now Tampa in Exclusive Platinum Service Awards Clubs, Florida. David’s roles as a Bartending Instructor at the American Bartending School in Tampa, while maintaining a second job bartending, and his years experience of managing bars, and working as a Brand Ambassador along with his extensive professional library of over 1,000 bartending books, highlight his dedication to continually refining his craft. He holds a diploma in Bar Management and is BarSmarts certified by Pernod Ricard.