Our private Facebook group is made up of tens of thousands of people from around our world. Some of our contributors dive deep into the science of vanilla extract, and Starlette is one of our favorites.
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Given the regular and recurring questions asked by our group members about the use of Everclear in extract making, Starlette decided to run an experiment of her own and she has invited all of us to follow along.
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Introduction: February 22, 2021
Everclear High Proof Comparison -
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I'm posting this mainly for our newcomers to vanilla making and to the group for informational purposes because I thought it was a cool experiment! I am not by all means a pro or is my way, the right way. Its about sharing my knowledge I've gained from extracting over the last 8 years.
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I've seen some posts going around about extracting with undiluted, high proof Everclear and it's starting to confuse some. So I want to share with you my results with high proof Everclear 190.
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Let me begin by saying, that Vanilla Bean Pods have over 250 complex flavorings that are extracted at different times during the process of 12-18 months. Some of these flavors are extracted by the alcohol and some of the flavorings are extracted by the water. That being said, if you use a high proof alcohol with minimal water you are not getting all the flavorings out of the beans before they start hardening. Yes, they do harden in high proof alcohol. Maybe not to a crisp, but the outer casing will. In this experiment I used Everclear 190, full strength and diluted with distilled water.
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The picture shows vanilla beans in the 3 separate proofs. The jar on the left is Everclear diluted to 100 proof, the middle jar is Everclear diluted to 140 proof, and the jar on the right is straight Everclear 190 proof.
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190 Proof - The straight 190 proof Everclear fried my beans to a crisp within a half an hour. Even now after almost a month it still looks about the same.
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140 Proof - The Everclear diluted to 140 proof is changing slow with no hint of vanilla fragrance. The outer casing of the beans are harder but still pliable.
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100 Proof - The Everclear diluted to 100 proof, the vanilla is dark, rich, and smells good. This Proof seems to be extracting the best of them all.
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The FDA recommends extracting at 70-100 proof to get the best results and to follow their guidlines, 80 proof is what most of us use. 1 ounce of beans to each cup of alcohol is the ratio for single strength.
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This is my experience with high proof alcohol. My recommendation would be the same as the FDA requirements, 70-100 proof. After all, don't we want excellent Vanilla Extract instead of just good
I know, I do. Yum Yum
I know, I do. Yum Yum
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Update #1: March 3, 2021
Almost a month into the Everclear high-proof experiment and it appears not much has happened with the diluted 140 proof and the straight 190 proof. But the 100 proof is working away. I cut the beans smaller to see if it helps. These jars havent been shaken, just sitting around doing their thing.
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Everclear 190 - I used this alcohol straight. The color hasnt changed much even after a month of extracting. This jar has no scent of vanilla, only alcohol and the beans are hard as rocks.
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Everclear 140 - This jar was diluted with distilled water to bring the proof down to 140. There is a hint of vanilla fragrance in the jar but only a very small amount and the color has changed a bit. The outside of the bean is hard but still pliable.
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Everclear 100 - This jar was also diluted with distilled water and seems to be doing the best. The fragrance of this jar smells amazing. Dark, rich, and the Beans are soft and still very pliable.
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I'm still going to let them sit in hopes of a better output within a year. More later
