Making clear flavour concentrates

[BlackMountains]

Hi, looking for advice on making clear flavour concentrates from fruit to add to vodka .

I have a small glass vacuum still which I need to play with . And tried running it through an air still as below

I’ve tried macerating fruit in 50%ABV then distilling but not getting the strong concentrate clear that I want

Thanks

[Myles]

This could be difficult.
The normal method of creating essences is to soak the flavour ingredient in the alcohol. After some time the flavour ingredient is discarded and the same alcohol is used to soak another batch. This process is repeated 7 or 8 times to get a highly flavoured alcohol.

However it is usually coloured and I am not sure how much flavour would carry over. It would depend on the flavour ingredient.

Sometimes the results are not what you might expect.

Annatto is a red colouring (and flavouring) that is extracted by soaking in 60% to 70% ethanol. That is subsequently re-distilled to recover the clear and flavourless ethanol. The product is actually left in the water in the boiler.

You use a jacketed boiler. Re-distilling high proof alcohol in a directly heated boiler is just asking for trouble.

[Mash]

This won't help your vacuum still playing...but could you do this with a sputnik in an AS.

Ram the basket with whatever fruit or botanical.
2 litres of 50% and stop after the first few ml.

I have long considered doing a rosemary essence (for meat) like this.

Thoughts ?

[BlackMountains]

Yeah thanks guys , have searched the net looking for extraction methods , seen it done with a rotovac , guess going to have to play about with low temp vac distillation

Macerated a load of rhubarb in 50% vodka and ran it through an AS it came out like aniseed , I mean really, bloody aniseed

[Myles]

Strange what carries over. I have never tried myself but have been told that very little banana flavour will carry over into distillate.

Do you really need it to be clear? That is the main issue. You can make a concentrated essence but it will usually have colour in it.

[Mash]

What flavours are you thinking?

For me I anyways found maceration delivered dirty darker flavours rather that the brighter fresher ones I get with sputnik.

[BlackMountains]

Rhubarb is one for sure. Made a dirty one last year in a sloe gin fashion, sugar, rhubarb and vodka. Shook everyday for the first week and left for a month . It was good but trying for clear

Found this which is interesting

http://www.cookingissues.com/index.html ... l#section1

[WEGGL]

LIQUEURS AND BASE

SYRUP

600G SUGAR 700ml WATER MAKES 1.3L OF SYRUP

Mix this 1L of sugar water mix with 3.5l of Vodka this makes the base mix that can have flavours added.

To make Mocha
I use beer stubbie bottles. in 30 ml hot water add 1 slightly over level tea spoon of instant coffee. Buy a bottle of Queen Chocolate essence from the supermarket. to the coffee water mix add 3ml of chocolate essence. add this to the stubbie fill with base mix , Shake let cool pour over ice. Bloody beautiful
Also if you want some wonderfull flavours try these -https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HIGHLY-Concentrated-Quality-Edible-Food-Flavourings-Bake-Stable-Flavour-10ml-E-/262498809585?var=&hash=item3d1e25f6f1
The Tiramisu , is A1 ,in that Syrup mix above, also the banana, watermelon and many others.
In the syrup mix you add 6 drops of the essence to a 750ml bottle, it is very strong so don't go above 6 drops. I usually make it in a stubby bottle with 3 drops.