Like cooking and baking new treats for the first time, vanilla extract making should also be fun! We couldn't help ourselves when we made our first ever vanilla extract using coconut rum. While we don’t recommend using spirits that contain artificial flavors, this extract was a fun blend. Something about the coconut and the vanilla that made the experiment and the outcome surprisingly delightful. So why the B- grade? Because, outside of using it for coconut cream pies or pineapple up-side-down cakes, its applications are very limited. If you really love coconut and you really love vanilla, then you may want to give this a try. In short, if you are new to extract making, then your first job is to create an extract tasting experience up to a year after you begin. The more you taste at once, the more you will be able to determine what you like and for what application. Another cognac that produces a wonderful vanilla extract. We see this brand of cognac and an alternative to the more expensive Hennessy, if you are determined to make a cognac vanilla extract but don't want to spend the Hennessy price.

In addition, grapes from the Cognac region of France (that also produce Champagne, we might add) are special. Their taste is unique and truly does provide a beautiful, aromatic, rich vanilla extract experience. Blend the vanilla vodka with Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur) and milk (or single cream, if you can handle the lactic overdose. Personally, I can’t) and pour over ice. Works so much better than it should. We reviewed brandy and cognac for extract making in one of our live extract making parties. Here is the clip:This cognac produces a wonderful vanilla extract. You will notice that we selected the VSOP (not the XO, which is more expensive) for our extract. If you are sipping a cognac like this, you will absolutely be able to tease out the richer notes of an XO over a VSOP, but we didn't think that the additional cost justified the result. Yes, and XO would make a wonderful extract but we didn't think the difference justified the 40%+ additional cost. Here's why you may want to consider cognac instead of brandy for vanilla extract: If you are conducting experiments on the impact of vanilla beans in different spirits, then you want to hold the spirit constant. A Hennessy cognac from grapes only grown in the Cognac region of France and approved by Hennessy's rigorous tasting standards will provide you a consistent, standard spirit base. Try one with Tahiti beans and one with Mexican beans and you will clearly note the difference in the final extract based solely on the beans. We talk about this generally in another article about using different spirits for extract makin g, but we want to get even more specific here. We are going to talk about specific brands of alcohol that we have tried and the different outcomes we have experienced. Vanilla Extract making is all about trial and error, and we have tried and failed a LOT in our experience and we're starting to get pretty good at getting it right.

We like white rum for two reasons: 1) It is sugar-based which means you will get a sweeter extract, and 2) It is mostly tasteless, which means that after a year of extraction, you will primarily just taste the vanilla beans. This makes white rum a great kind of alcohol to use when experimenting with different beans. Try a white rum with a Tongan vanilla bean vs. a white rum with a Madagascar vanilla bean and you will smell and taste the dramatic difference between those beans almost immediately. As such, white rum's applications are almost universal. A Mexican vanilla extract made in a white rum can be used in almost any dessert, making this our favorite choice. Captain Morgan white rum specifically is a little less strong and more subtle, which results in a creamy and smooth extract. This is obviously a top shelf rum. It's pure, clean, rich and sweet. It's stored in a sherry cask, and its production yields a taste that includes hints of caramelized sugar, honey and vanilla. We start with this rum, not because we recommend that you use it. For most extracts Kirk and Sweeney is cost-prohibitive. However, a good vanilla extract will only be as good as the spirit used for extraction. We couldn't believe the rich, deep, bold flavors that came out of this extract after just six months of extraction. (And even more after a year!) The spirit only enhanced the natural taste of the beans, which makes this one of the best extract experiences we have ever had. Is it worth it? In some cases such as vanilla flan, vanilla creams or cream pies, a bold extract really enhances the taste. We set the bar very high with this delightful extract. It's clearly a top shelf, A+ experience. Grey Goose's lineup of flavored expressions is crafted with their winter wheat vodka serving as the base. Grey Goose La Vanille was one of the first flavored vodkas to be released by the company. Now it has returned after 15 years of absence due to popular demand. It's a complex and refined vodka that is infused with natural vanilla essence from Madagascar vanilla beans. Creamy with caramel, vanilla, white chocolate, and floral notes, the expression is bottled at 80 proof. What spirit is best with what kind of vanilla bean? This clip from our extract making party might help: We listed Smirnoff Vodkas as plural (vodkas) as opposed to the singular. Why? Because Smirnoff is the flavor leader of all vodkas. They have multiple vodka flavors, all of which can be used for vanilla bean extraction. The grade of these vodkas is D+ not because of taste. (The taste of a regular Smirnoff vodka vanilla extract is definitely an A) It's a D+ because there are specific flavor applications available through Smirnoff that might temp a first-time extract maker.

Historians are not clear on the exact origin of vodka since different sources link its beginning to both Russia and Poland. But one thing is clear: this somewhat simple spirit, first used as a medicinal concoction, has become one of the most versatile drinks in the world. Similar to tequilas with their silvers, reposados and anejos, a brandy and cognac are put into three distinct categories as well. 1)Very Special (VS) for a minimum age of 2 years, 2) Very Special Old Pale (VSOP) for a minimum age of 4 years and, 3) Extra Old (XO) for a minimum age of six years. We have tried making vanilla extracts with vodkas that have artificial flavors. At first glance, using a vanilla-flavored vodka to make vanilla extract sounds like a great idea. Or perhaps a strawberry vodka for a strawberry/vanilla extract. In each of these cases, our extracts tasted metallic and unnatural. With the exception of coconut rum and spiced rum, we do not recommend using artificially-flavored spirts for at home extract making. In the same way that all bourbons are whiskeys but not all whiskey is bourbon, all cognacs are brandies but not all brandies are cognac. Where whiskeys are derived from ryes, corn, barley, etc., cognacs and brandies are derived from grapes and fruits, so they are naturally much sweeter than bourbons and whiskeys. Cognacs are made only from grapes grown in the Cognac region of France, whereas brandies are made from grapes and even other fruits (like apples) from anywhere around the world.