What a wonderful sight….

….as a new bottle of Everclear starts to take on color from the vanilla beans being soaked in it. Its an absolute thing of beauty. This is 12 hours old, or since the beans went into the bottle, and already its gotten a light golden hue to it.

The beans that are in this jug were super fresh and were found at a local coop that specializes in organic foods. The price wasn’t too bad at just under $5.50/bean from a bulk jar. We found wrapped beads at 2/$15.00 but the beans in the wrapper were pretty darned dry and brittle. The ones in the jug were very soft and pliable and split with a table knife….exactly what I wanted.

On Tuesday Carole and I did a little tour to Pike’s Peak State Park in McGregor, Iowa to check on campsites and to reserve one for August. We took a little side trip to Stark Sporting Goods/Liquor Palace in Prairie Du Chein to fetch up this jug and I’ll be darned if we didn’t have to ask for the stuff as they keep it stored in the back room, not anywhere on the store’s shelves. I asked why when the clerk came back with the bottle and he said its strictly a liability issue given the 190 proof alcohol content. That makes sense, but we have never run into the situation before anywhere in Wisconsin before. Maybe its a new ordinance or maybe just something the store/town does by choice.

Got the goods, got it started so now in about 9 months Ma can be assured of the best vanilla around….but she’s got two other liters that are ready right now along with about a half a jug in use. I wonder how a couple shots mixed with a little simple syrup and some charged water would be as a vanilla phosphate? Used to drink those as a kid at a soda bar that Rochester had way back when….the Princess Cafe

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I’ve wanted to do this for awhile, I even have a couple leftover vanilla beans from when we made Creme Brulee at Christmas!

You guys must do a heck of a lot of baking, or do you bottle it up and give it out as gifts?

I gift some of this out but we do a ton of baking and Ma won’t use any vanilla but this now. So you know Phil, get beans that are sft and pliable and smell fresh of vanilla. You’ll want at least 4 full beans. Split the beans and slip them in the bottle and cap. I re-wrap the bottle in that bag the liquor store should put it in so the bottle stys dark, even in the closed closet. I won’t open a bottle for at least 6 months and that’s just to take a smell and pour a tiny bit out for a taste. I judge readiness by color, smell and taste. When its ready the vanilla will be vanilla in taste but not bitter or having any lingering after-taste. Color will be close to a good bourbon.

Its not a cheap venture, but then good is seldom cheap. Cheap natural food stores for bulk beans, not sealed in anything. You’ll want to feel the beans for softness and smell them….they should be a strong vanilla smell but not sour or acrid. A good measure is your fingers after handling the beans. If your hands smell like a bottle of good vanilla extract, get those beans.

Also….Everclear comes as 190 proof and 151 proof. Minnesota sells the 151 Everclear, but not the 190. I have tried the 151 once and wasn’t happy with the end results. I always want 190 for my vanilla. Costs a little more but the end result is a better end period. If we don’t have some S/ Dak. or Wi travel slated, I try to find someone who is driving thru the states that will grab a jug or two for me. Wi is only a 45 minute drive for me so its really not a biggie getting what I believe in and trust in.

Its simple to make and once the girls use this stuff its darned near a given that you’ll have a new project about once a year. lol

That’s great advice, thanks Tom! I do a fair amount of baking and honestly, buying a decent sized bottle of pure vanilla extract from the store ain’t cheap either!

I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, I don’t doubt that this is way better than some mass produced stuff. Am I right to assume this would keep for a long time? Sure it’s an expensive up front investment, but it would take me quite a long time to go through that much vanilla extract.

Have you ever tried using other alcohol? I’ve heard of people using bourbon(and I love bourbon), vodka, etc.

As long as the cap is on tight this will last a looooooong time. And it just gets better with age.

As far as using bourbon or other alcohols I can’t say as I haven’t ever tried them. I am thinking that maybe a good bourbon might be a fun try sometime but I think that the better the bourbon the better the end result. An infused bourbon might be good straight up right out of a freezer. Go me thinking now.

so let me get this straight??:?: you go out and by a jug of 190 proof everclear, stick at least 4 vanilla beans in it……..6-9 months later you got vanilla extract???? datz gotta be some spiced up bakin!!!!!!!!

glenn57 wrote:

you go out and by a jug of 190 proof everclear, stick at least 4 vanilla beans in it……..6-9 months later you got vanilla extract????

Haha I was thinking the same thing Glenn!?! And then was wondering if you could do the same w/ almonds for almond extract? That stuff could rival gold on the commodity market…

BigWerm wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>glenn57 wrote:</div>
you go out and by a jug of 190 proof everclear, stick at least 4 vanilla beans in it……..6-9 months later you got vanilla extract????

Haha I was thinking the same thing Glenn!?! And then was wondering if you could do the same w/ almonds for almond extract? That stuff could rival gold on the commodity market…

hey you got a point there!!!!!!! i need to check the wifes cooking shelf to see what other “extracts” she got!!!!!!

Am I the only one that sees leeches in a jug?

Kyhl wrote:

Am I the only one that sees leeches in a jar?

glenn57 wrote:

so let me get this straight??:?: you go out and by a jug of 190 proof everclear, stick at least 4 vanilla beans in it……..6-9 months later you got vanilla extract???? datz gotta be some spiced up bakin!!!!!!!!

The alcohol cooks out of anything this is put in. Cooked being the “key” word here.

I also used pure almond extract, about a 2 ounce bottle, in a liter of the Everclear plus a little simple syrup. Chop a few dried apricots and add to the alcohol. This makes a super amaretto in about 6 weeks. You’ll need to pour off some of the Everclear to get this other stuff in the jug so put it in a pint canning jar with a bean or, better, two and make a two-for-one batch.

for a guy that doesnt indulge much………….. you sure got one hellofa reciepe collection for booze!!!!!!!!!

I don’t indulge much. I’m more likely to have a Sharps in my hand than a beer. I might have a little wine on occasion but way less than half a standard serving of it. I do enjoy cooking though, hence the vanilla. Drinking though, I’m not tee-totaller, but I’m just more likely to have a NA or a pop.

Keep in mind most things you’ll bake use like .5 – 2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, spread across an entire batch of cookies, cake, etc.

philtickelson wrote:

Keep in mind most things you’ll bake use like .5 – 2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, spread across an entire batch of cookies, cake, etc.

Yup

Tom, is my understanding Correct? Once this vanilla is ready, it will never go bad?

You also never take the beans out? Thanks.

I’ve never had it go bad. Ever. And yes, I leave the beans in as long as there’s fluid in the bottle. In fact, when I have two or three bottles working and finish a bottle, I’ll split the beans from the spent bottle and add then to the others that are still getting good. Any bottle with six or eight beans in it I toss the beans when its empty because some of those will have been second use and they wear out. I use fresh beans to start the next bottle then.

I number the bottles on the label corner so I can keep track of which is which. I also put a small X in a corner of the label if second use beans have been added.

I split my beans but that will release the sand-like black seeds. I don’t try to remove them but if Carole is making an angle food or other real white or light colored whatever she’ll run the vanilla she’s going to use thru a small piece of coffee filter to grab the seeds. No biggie. Actually the seeds are potent and will add a lot to recipes if they’re left in the vanilla.

We stopped at our local grocery coop in Winona looking for vanilla beans. We were told that there is a shortage and that the suppliers are holding on to them until late fall. The people we talked too at the store said the prices skyrocketed? I can find some on the internet but they also seem spendy.

Any other ideas or leads on some, to try a batch of the vanilla booze mixture? Thanks.

Let me check our coop. If they have any I’ll check prices. We’ll work something out for ya.

Thanks Tom.

Riverruns…

I stopped by there yesterday and they were out of beans and when asked about when they’d have more they were sort of vague. They said they expect more, but didn’t get very forthright about when. I’ll keep poking my nose in there to check for you. This is a fairly large store with a huge organic/bulk section that sees a ton of business from the rich people, so I can’t imagine them being out for long.

Prices I have no idea about if there really is a shortage. I shop around before I buy any because some places will sell old, hard beans for cheap [or somewhat cheaper]. Some places sell beans sealed in cellophane or sealed jars and you can’t feel them thru it to see how soft they are and others sell dinky little suckers for a share of gold. This place I can open the jug and pick and choose which pieces I want….longer, softer and thicker are what I go for. I got 4 really strong beans for the last batch at just over $22.00.

Riverruns….I’m sending you a PM.

What size bottle of everclear do you start out with? 1L, 750mL, 1.75L?

I use the 1 liter if I can find them. 750 otherwise.

Hats off too Tom for coming through! Tom sent me vanilla beans through the US mail. I’ve been looking for fresh beans to add to a bottle of ever clear and I could not find any that were fresh. I received 4 today from tom and they are soaking in a bottle tonight and will be looked at again next May. (2019)

Thanks again Tom!!

No trouble Shawn. Happy to help.

Going to revive this. My vanilla is just about used up from 2018 when I made this.
Looks like I used 4 vanilla beans Tom sent me. I do believe these were fresh beans.

I did get beans off of Amazon. I got 25 beans. The ones I got are B grade where the ones i used previous were A grade.

A grade has a higher moisture content from what I read.

Now my question is, how many beans should I use while I am using B grade beans? I’m using 1 liter bottle of everclear 190 proof.

Not sure if Tom ever logged in under another name after being banned? Thanks Shawn

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Hey Shawn, Tom here. Good to see you bringing this back to the top.

Your beans look to be about 6″ beans. I’d use 6 in that liter of alcohol. And a little trick here…. when you’ve run the first bottle empty, take the beans from that bottle and put them in the new one with the others.

I usually have 4 liters working…. 3 in the making and one to use. When I empty a bottle I start another right away.

I figured this was you as Jimmy jones just from reading your messages and replies.

Long time no talk. I was also banned at one time. Lay kinda low these days on this site.

I ended up putting 8 beans in the bottle of 190 proof everclear.
I have 17 beans left. Tomorrow I’ll be picking up 2 more bottles of everclear and splitting the beans between them.

We should be good on vanilla for a long time.