Vanilla 101

Got a half bottle of one vodka and a half bottle of another? Here's what you need to know before blending spirits for your homemade vanilla extract.

Strawberry vodka + vanilla beans sounds amazing. But most flavored spirits use artificial flavoring that turns metallic over months of infusion. Learn which spirits actually work — and the right way to make flavored vanilla extract using real freeze-dried fruit and cacao nibs.

Can you blend spirits when making vanilla extract? Yes — but there are important things to know about ABV, flavor dominance, and blending within spirit families.