Nuestro El grupo privado de Facebook está formado por decenas de miles de personas de todo nuestro mundo. Algunos de nuestros colaboradores profundizan en la ciencia del extracto de vainilla y Starlette es uno de nuestros favoritos.
Haz nuevos amigos, aprende un nuevo oficio y obtén 50% REBAJADO su primer kit inicial de extracto de vainilla registrándose en una clase virtual de elaboración de extractos haciendo clic aquí y registrándose hoy.
Dadas las preguntas habituales y recurrentes de los miembros de nuestro grupo sobre el uso de Everclear en la elaboración de extractos, Starlette decidió realizar su propio experimento y nos invitó a todos a seguirlo.
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Introducción: 22 de febrero de 2021
Comparación de alta prueba de Everclear -
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Estoy publicando esto principalmente para nuestros recién llegados a la elaboración de vainilla y para el grupo con fines informativos porque pensé que era un experimento genial. No soy de ninguna manera un profesional o es mi manera, la manera correcta. Se trata de compartir mis conocimientos que he adquirido extrayendo durante los últimos 8 años.
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He visto algunas publicaciones sobre la extracción con Everclear sin diluir y de alta graduación y está empezando a confundir a algunos. Por eso quiero compartir con ustedes mis resultados con Everclear 190 de alta resistencia.
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Permítanme comenzar diciendo que las vainas de vainilla tienen más de 250 aromas complejos que se extraen en diferentes momentos durante el proceso de 12 a 18 meses. Algunos de estos sabores se extraen con el alcohol y otros con el agua. Dicho esto, si usa un alcohol de alta graduación con un mínimo de agua, no obtendrá todos los sabores de los granos antes de que comiencen a endurecerse. Sí, se endurecen en alcohol de alta graduación. Quizás no quede crujiente, pero la carcasa exterior sí lo hará. En este experimento utilicé Everclear 190, sin diluir y diluido con agua destilada.
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La imagen muestra vainas de vainilla en las 3 pruebas separadas. El frasco de la izquierda es Everclear diluido a 100 grados, el frasco del medio es Everclear diluido a 140 grados y el frasco de la derecha es Everclear puro 190 grados.
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190 grados - El Everclear puro de 190 grados frió mis frijoles hasta dejarlos crujientes en media hora. Incluso ahora, después de casi un mes, sigue prácticamente igual.
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Grado 140: Everclear diluido a grado 140 cambia lentamente sin ningún indicio de fragancia de vainilla. La cubierta exterior de los granos es más dura pero aún flexible.
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100 Grados: Everclear diluido a 100 grados, la vainilla es oscura, rica y huele bien. Esta prueba parece estar extrayendo lo mejor de todos.
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La FDA recomienda extraer entre 70 y 100 grados para obtener los mejores resultados y seguir sus pautas; 80 grados es lo que la mayoría de nosotros usamos. 1 onza de frijoles por cada taza de alcohol es la proporción de concentración simple.
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Esta es mi experiencia con el alcohol de alta graduación. Mi recomendación sería la misma que los requisitos de la FDA, 70-100 grados. Después de todo, ¿no queremos un excelente extracto de vainilla en lugar de simplemente un buen 
Sé lo que hago. Yum Yum
Sé lo que hago. Yum Yum 
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Actualización n.º 1: 3 de marzo de 2021
Casi un mes después del experimento de alta prueba de Everclear y parece que no ha sucedido mucho con la prueba diluida de 140 y la prueba pura de 190. Pero la prueba de 100 está funcionando. Corté los frijoles más pequeños para ver si ayuda. Estos frascos no han sido sacudidos, simplemente están sentados haciendo lo suyo.
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Everclear 190: utilicé este alcohol solo. El color no ha cambiado mucho incluso después de un mes de extracción. Este frasco no huele a vainilla, solo a alcohol y los granos son duros como piedras.
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Everclear 140: este frasco se diluyó con agua destilada para reducir la prueba a 140. Hay un toque de fragancia de vainilla en el frasco, pero solo una cantidad muy pequeña y el color ha cambiado un poco. El exterior del frijol es duro pero aún flexible.
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Everclear 100: este frasco también se diluyó con agua destilada y parece estar funcionando mejor. La fragancia de este frasco huele increíble. Oscuros, ricos y los frijoles son suaves y aún muy flexibles.
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Todavía los dejaré reposar con la esperanza de obtener un mejor resultado dentro de un año. Más tarde
Comentarios
Hi Cyn, Welcome to Extracting! You’ve got it all totally right and are ready to roll!
If you have any further questions along the way our Facebook group is full of so many helpful members who are happy to help any time. The group is called ‘Making Vanilla Extract by VanillaPura’. Happy Extracting!
This is great site, lots of good info for this beginner! So, from what I have gathered from this article and reading the recipe with video on this site…please let me know if I have missed anything or need a correction…
My notes…
I HAVE 190 PROOF EVERCLEAR
TO MAKE IT 80 PROOF:
MIX EQUAL PARTS OF 190 PROOF EVERCLEAR WITH DESTILLED WATER
YEILDS 80 PROOF?
I WOULD LIKE TO USE 8OZ MASON JARS AND 8OZ SWING TOP BOTTLES OR MAYBE 16OZ
PER THE FDA, 1OZ OF BEANS FOR EACH 1 CUP OF ALCOHOL. AM I ASSUMING CORRECTLY THAT 1 CUP OF ALCOHOL IS OF THE ALCOHOL I COMBINED WITH DISTILLED WATER TO BRING DOWN THE PROOD TO 80?
SO, 1OZ BEANS + 8OZ/1 CUP 80 PROOFED EVERCLEAR IN A 8OZ BOTTLE = GREAT EXTRACT
DOUBLE MEASUREMENTS FOR 16OZ BOTTLE
SOME IMPORTANT TIPS FROM THE COMMENTS:
OF THE SUGGESTED RANGE OF 70-100 PROOF, SOUNDS LIKE 80 IS THE SWEET SPOT
SLICE BEANS & FOLD TO FIT OR CUT BEANS TO FIT
PROOF EVERCLEAR TO 80 WITH DISTILLED WATER 2 DAYS BEFORE ADDING BEANS
MAKE SURE BEANS ARE FULLY SUBMERGED
Welcome to the world of extracting Sandy! A great place to start would be following our recipe for Homemade Vanilla Extract, you can copy and paste the link below into your browser or search for ‘DIY Homemade Vanilla Extract’ in our recipe collection :-)
https://www.vanillapura.com/blogs/extract-recipes/diy-homemade-vanilla-extract-recipe
You can also get plentiful help and tips by joining our Facebook group ‘Making Vanilla Extract by VanillaPura’ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/makingvanillaextractathome)
Im new to extract making but not to tincture making. This is how i was taught to make tinctures to get the whole range of medicine from the herbs. I wish more people understood this in reguards to both. Good information here.
So 1st)…..I’m new to this,
2nd) …..How do I efficiently, inexpensively (as possible) make
-PURE
-Homemade
-CLEAR
-Vanilla Extract ?!?!
To make it easier… Using a whole Everclear 750ml bottle, the dilution with distilled water goes as follows:
Using 190 proof Everclear:
to make it 100 proof add 675ml of water
95 proof add 750ml water
80 proof add 1031 ml of water
Using 151 proof Everclear:
to make it 100 proof add 383ml water
90 proof add 508 ml water
80 proof add 665 ml water
Using 120 proof Everclear:
100 proof add 150 ml water
90 proof add 250 ml water
80 proof add 375ml water
There is a standard formula that can be used for diluting liquids. Here we would use:
Proof 1 x Volume 1= Proof 2 x Volume 2 (P1 V1 = P2 V2)
Where Proof 1 (P1) is the starting proof of your alcohol, Volume 1 (V1) is the unknown we are solving for, Proof 2 (P2) is the final proof you desire and Volume 2 (V2) is the final volume you are making.
For example: you have 190 proof Everclear and you want to make a quart (32 oz) of 100 proof. What volume of 190 proof (V1) and how much distilled water do you use?
V1 = P2 xV2 / P1
V1 = 100 proof x 32 oz / 190 proof = 3200 / 190 = 16.8 oz (a little more than 2 cups)
Next you solve for the water:
Final volume V2 – calculated volume V1 = volume of water needed
32 oz – 16.8 oz = 15.2 oz ( a little less than 2 cups)
So, if you mixed. 2 cups of 190 proof with 2 cups of distilled water, you would have very close to 100 proof (95 proof).
I hope this helps.
Hi Veronica,
The bean to alcohol ratio is 1 ounce of vanilla beans to 8 ounces of alcohol.
Happy Extracting!:)
How many vanilla beans go into an eight ounce container?
Like many here, they have $100+ of beans in jars of full 95% everclear. The beans have been soaking for 8 months. Q1 – should I add water now to make 40%, and if so what type of water, tap, boiled, distilled, something else. Q2 – when I add room temp tap water, the solution clouds. How can I uncloud it? Is there a way to add the get the solution to be clear?
Hi, thanks for tips. I’m excited to soak my vanilla beans in 70-100 proof Everclear. Can I just cut the pods in half to fit better in my jar? How much distlled water & Everclear do I use for 4 ounces of vanilla beans? What other flavors of alcohol do you suggest & how much distlled water do I include. Thanks!
The jar in your experiment that was labeled 100 proof was watered down. because you started with 190 proof. Correct? So I have a 1 liter bottle of 151 proof Everclear that needs water added to make it under 100 proof to make my vanilla! I cannot figure out how much water to add. So how much water would you add to say 1 cup of 151 proof Everclear? In all the posts online and everywhere they talk about 190 proof but not 151 proof and then they just tell you how much water is already in the 151 proof. This is driving me cuckoo!!
Help!!
Roberta
How do you use 42.5% alcohol with 151 proof Everclear? I just bought 1 liter.
Hi Starlette, just wondered if you have any pictures of this experiment now that’s it’s been a year. It would be great to see. Thanks so much for everything you do!
I would like to see the reference that says FDA recommends or requires 70-100 proof. All I find is that the FDA requires a Minimum of 70 proof (35%).
Many federal standards are a minimum requirement to protect the health of the general public and protect from the old “snake oil “ salesmen of the past.
Very informative post, but I have had repeated success with 190 proof for vanilla ( and other) and will continue to use 190 proof.
Thanks !!
For the everclear users, did you split the vanilla beans down the center? This is how so was told to do this and my vanilla extract turned out perfect!!
Why would you use distilled water? Water that has everything cooked out of it. Why not spring water?
I heard about extracting with Everclear in early 2021 but did not get a lot of this information. It had been extracting from early April 2021 to near end of December before I realized there may be a problem. I extract in dark amber swing-top beer bottles, so the color of the extract is not obvious by looking at the bottle. Yesterday I decided to pour out the extract and combine it with distilled water to lower the alcohol percentage. (I diluted to something like a 55:45 ratio, with the distilled water being the 45.) First of all, I was SHOCKED to see how DARK the extract had become. I have been extracting vanilla for just a couple of years and never have gotten it that dark before. However, I don’t want to smell alcohol when I open a vanilla bottle; I want to get a whiff of VANILLA, so I proceeded with my plan to get somewhere in the range of 100 proof, poured the extra alcohol concoction in another bottle for future fresh vanilla beans, and returned the beans that had been sitting in 190 proof Everclear for 9 months back into the bottle with the now-100 proof alcohol. After mixing the distilled water with the 190-proof alcohol extraction, it became very cloudy. My understanding is that since I used distilled water I can expect it to clear up within a few days. We’ll see!
To Dusty,
Is the alcohol 40% or 40 proof.? If it is 40% alcohol ? At 40% alcohol= 80 proof. This is for Vodka.
Different Range of Alcohol Content in Different Alcoholic Beverages
S.No. Alcoholic Drinks ABV Proof
1. Brandy, Gin, Tequilla, Vodka, and Whiskey 40% 80
2. Rum 50% 100
3. Flavored Vodkas 35% 75
4. Cointreau and Benedictine 40% 80
Wish I had found this before I made my vanilla back in January 2021 with straight 190 proof Everclear. I found a recipe for it online and decided to give it a go but they never said anything about diluting it I have 3 bottles of it that even now haven’t changed much. My beans don’t seem to be hard as rocks but the color really hasn’t changed at all. Is there a way I can salvage this at all? Even if it means diluting and adding new beans, I would be willing to try that I guess. Better than dumping right?
Oh dear. The bottle of vodka I used to start my first extracts earlier this month is only 40proof.
Have I ruined my extracts??
Tried googling an answer and nothing comes up remotely helpful.
Please help if you can, thanks!
Hi Ronald!
Great question. The alcohol has already been “proofed.” Proofing just refers to how there are two times alcohol by volume. For example, a 120 Proof Alcohol would be 60% alcohol. :) Hope this helps!
How do I proof the everclear?
1st batch i made with striaght 190 proof everclear. Didn’t turn out that well for cooking but incredibly delicious for sipping. Glad I stumbled upon this website before committed all of my madagascar grade A beans for entertaining. going to go with two batches this time. 50% of beans in 190 proof and the other half in diluted 190 proof everclear.
Thank you for the great article
I didn’t understand the adding water to 190 proof everclear. I put my beans in full strength on 8/27 21! Help. Can I still selvage my 6 jars? What exactly should I do?? Thank you for any help.
I have 120 proof everclear. How much distilled water to the everclear? Please
Using alcohol with 100+proof will dry out your beans, that’s why the 190 period jar is hard and not extracting. If you use grain alcohol to extract you must dilute with distilled water a couple days before adding your beans.
Why would you choose to use Everclear rather than vodka to begin with?
William, try buying 80 proof vodka. I use Platinum 7X. It’s an extra smooth vodka, not real expensive & sure makes delicious vanilla extract. I asked a scientist friend of mine & he recommended it. I don’t drink alcohol of any kind & the Everclear made a bitter twang to the extract. Hope this helps! Good luck.
Bea
If you mix equal parts of 190 proof (95% alcohol) Everclear and water you will have an 80 proof (40% alcohol) result.
If you mix 4 parts 100 proof Everclear to 1 part water it will yield 80 proof result.
Someone in the FB group linked: http://distillique.co.za/DC/index.htm#home to calculate using the blending tab.
I am beginning my first attempt at Vanilla Extract. I am unsure what spirit, and vanilla bean to use for the best possible extract. Looking for advice.
Dumb question. How much distilled water is added to get the 140 and 100 proof?
Thank you, Starlette! Looking forward to further updates, as I have a friend who has 5 gallons of Everclear and they keep offering it to me for vanilla extract. I may have to take them up on their offer now!
Thanks for sharing this experiment and for the update. I’ll be following, and likely brewing a batch or two with Everclear, myself.
Great information, thank you!
Thank you for sharing. Very,very informative.
Ok still very new at this . So for the everclear 100 mix what amount of water do you use? Sorry if this sounds dumb.