Imbibist

It’s high time for another infusion project. The problem is that I have a full load of Real Life staring me down right now, so the project must be simple or there will be no project at all. Problem solved.
 

This is easily the simplest project I’ve taken on thus far: Vanilla Bourbon. Prep work: simple. Maintenance: simpler. Risk factor: essentially zero.
 

Find an empty 375ml bottle (I keep plenty specifically for this purpose). Split a vanilla bean. Place vanilla bean halves into said 375ml bottle. Fill 375ml bottle with, oh, about 375ml of Maker’s Mark. Cap bottle. Turn over bottle multiple times per day, for 48 hours. Strain bourbon, discard vanilla bean. Serve.
 

Why, no, that isn't Chartreuse.

Yes, I do realize there is a commercially prepared vanilla whiskey available, but it’s not exactly bourbon. A Bourbon/Canadian blend, sweetened, and marketed to vodka drinkers. Not my idea of fun.

It is with a sense of defeat that I deliver this update.  While I still believe in the spirit of experimentation, it is imperative I postpone this Bathtub Gin project.  Indefinitely.
 

Hey, don’t get me wrong.  Bathtub Gin No. 2 came out quite well, and is a major improvement over No. 1.  Leaving anise out of the mix eliminated the clouding that occurred when No. 1 was introduced to H₂O.  Hence, No. 2 looks less like filthy lake water and more like, well, whiskey.  The improved steeping method – an oversized “tea bag” made of coffee filters – reduced the volume of solid particles suspended in the liquid.  Harshness was a serious problem with No. 1, as legal white lightning, a/k/a Everclear, was used for the base.  No. 2 was built upon a midrange vodka, Smirnoff 100 proof, resulting in a much smoother finish.

Bathtub Gin No. 2

Yet, it still falls short of any decent commercial variety, as the flavor is undeveloped.  While No. 2’s flavor is unmistakably that of gin, it tastes almost exactly like the raw juniper berries smell.  If you’ve smelled raw juniper berries before, you know that while they emit an aroma very similar to gin, it is not an exact match.  And while I’m all for creating something new as opposed to copying an existing commercial brand, No. 2 leaves something to be desired.
 

“But wait!  You can’t expect to make a production quality gin on just your second try!”  True, but at the same time, I can’t expect to make a production quality gin utilizing the infusion method, either.  My gut tells me the flavor problem is rooted in the fact that I’m doing this at home – not in a distillery – and I don’ t have the time to investigate any further right now.  Especially since the Pumpkin Spiced Bourbon has worked out so well.
 

So here’s to you, No. 2.  Your advancements over your predecessor are noted and lauded.  May your days as the home’s top-ranked Bathtub Gin be long and august.

Well this is a pleasant surprise.
 

After struggling through two (2) defeating rounds of Bathtub Gin, I’ve finally crafted a home project that begs to be repeated.  Simply put, Pumpkin Spiced Bourbon is WINNER.  The process was messy, the method questionable, but the results are fantastic.
 

After filtering and straining the bourbon from the pureed sludge, I cleansed my palate to the best of my abilities and tried a small glass neat.  To my (non)surprise, it smells of spiced pumpkin.  Hmmm, what could be in store for my taste buds?  (non)Surprise again: spiced pumpkin.  Yes, this bourbon smells and tastes of pumpkin and holiday spices. After the bathtub gin experiments, this predictability came as a very welcome revelation.
 

Pumpkin Spiced Bourbon. So good, I made two.

As someone who enjoys bourbon neat, my guess is Pumpkin Spiced Bourbon is better enjoyed mixed.  I found it hard not to associate the taste with pumpkin pie, as I usually dump a liberal amount of bourbon or rye into my homemade holiday custards.  Based solely upon this association, I felt the bourbon was missing an element of sweetness.  Perhaps I can grow into drinking it neat, but the point of making this concoction was to use it in holiday themed cocktails.  Once the cocktail experimentation begins, I will be looking for ingredients that complement and accentuate the flavors of the holidays, all the while avoiding the dreaded, sorority-girl-approved “pumpkin pie martini” label.
 

As mentioned above, the method was messy, but effective.

Pumpkin Spiced Bourbon
 

750 ml mid-grade Bourbon (I used Maker’s Mark)
1 Can (2.5 cups) unsweetened Pumpkin Puree
2 tsp Allspice
1 tsp Whole Clove
2 sticks Cinnamon (I used Cassia)
Half a Nutmeg
 

Pour all ingredients into a liquid-tight container (plastic or glass). Shake once daily for seven (7) days. Strain mixture through multiple layers of cheesecloth TWICE. Filter once through a standard coffee filter. Re-bottle and enjoy. Renders about 675ml.

A word of caution: the coffee filter step is tedious. Pumpkin Spiced Bourbon strains through the filter very slowly, and a number of filters will be necessary to finish the batch. There are enough solids in the mix to clog the filter, which must be thrown away and replaced. I went through about ten (10) filters in my process. If you don’t mind a semi-cloudy bourbon, then skip this step. Opaque infusions aren’t your thing? Filter away.
 

Now, what to do with all the strained pumpkin puree? If you are anything like me, then you already know the answer. Look again at the recipe above. We started with 750 ml of bourbon, and are left with about 675. Yes, there’s roughly 75 ml of bourbon in that puree. Now get out your mixing bowl and make a pie, damnit.

The murky, yellowish-brown bottle on my counter labeled “No. 1” has not discouraged me.  Bathtub Gin No. 2 is currently in production.  And by “production,” I mean I have 750ml of neutral grain spirits steeping as we speak.  No. 2 started with a better quality base spirit and an improved steeping method.  It should be ready in about five (5) days.
 

Additionally, I’ve begun another project which should come out a winner:  Pumpkin Spice Infused Bourbon.  I’m looking forward to tasting this, as it is quite fitting for the season.  Not to mention that, given it is an infusion, it will be hard to screw up.  Unlike my misguided Bathtub Gin experiments.

Not unlike starting your own business, making your own booze is completely illogical in this modern world. The job market is ripe with safe, well paying positions with decent benefits and little risk, even in this economic environment. Likewise, your local Liquor Store is flush with an incredible array of well formulated, refined, and time tested alcoholic products. It takes a unique and bizarre individual to want to make homemade booze, and I am one of those nuts.
 

Bathtub gin was a necessity during the Prohibition, not so much today. I chose to make gin for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I like gin. A lot. Second, gin production does not require distillation. Indeed, gin is essentially a specialty infused vodka, and while fine gins incorporate multiple distillations, it is possible to make a basic gin without a still. Given I do not have a federal license, or a still, or access to a federally licensed still, infusion is the process I chose.

Ingredients for the basic gin recipe: Juniper Berries, Coriander, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Lemon Peel, Aniseed, and Grain Alcohol. Store bought booze in the background.

Note that the goal here is to not create a world class gin on the first try. Given I chose the infusion method, this is patently impossible. The goal is to make something that can pass as gin. Baby steps.
 

Nearly every major gin producer on the planet buys neutral grain spirits as the base ingredient. That’s right: buys. Hence, you can cut me some slack for doing the same. I chose the hottest variety I could find here in California, Everclear 151 proof grain alcohol. Yeah, the same liquid fire you dreamed of acquiring when you were seventeen. This choice would prove questionable later.
 

Next I was tasked with procuring the basic herbal ingredients: lemon peel, angelica root, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander seed, and the predominant ingredient, juniper berries. I was able to find all of these except angelica root. This is not a huge loss for a first run, since angelica root is a minor ingredient. Aniseed was available, though. Since aniseed is used in some gin recipes and I’d like to make an anise flavored liqueur in the future, I picked some up and used it in lieu of the angelica. This, also, would prove questionable later.
 

The recipe I had for simple gin was written for an industrial production of 1000 liters, using 190 proof spirits as the base ingredient. As illustrated above, I was dealing with a 750ml bottle of production moonshine and a few handfuls of botanicals, so an Excel spreadsheet was necessary to scale it down to a nano-production level. After carefully measuring out the ingredients using a digital food (read: illicit drug) scale, I put all the ingredients and the spirits into my infusion vessel, a retired 1.75 liter Bombay Sapphire bottle. Then I parked it in the closet for a week. Here ended Day 1 of a 14 day process.
 

Over the next seven days, nothing exciting took place, save the daily agitation of the bottle. However, as each day passed, the liquor became darker, eventually reaching a brown tone similar to a light whiskey. Store bought gin has no color — not even the bottom shelf crap found in a destitute North Las Vegas packaged good store — so this could certainly turn off some folks.  The smell, however, was distinctly gin. Which is good.  Maybe my friends will sample this with me after all.
 

On Day 8, the time came to stop the infusion process and dilute the liquor to a drinkable strength.  Using cheesecloth, I strained the mixture into a pitcher, removing the botanicals from the liquid.  After multiple filtrations, the mixture was diluted to drinkable strength of 94 proof (No surprise: calculating the volume of water to add also required the Excel spreadsheet).  This is where things got weird.
 

I fully expected the dilution to lighten the color of the gin, which I welcomed.  The lighter the color, the more it would look legitimate.  However, I wasn’t expecting the liquor to cloud.  Yes, it clouded, turning it into a yellowish-brown slurry that could turn off even the hardest booze addict.  Here I realized I wouldn’t be selling this commercially, and was wondering whether anyone would even be willing to test it with me.  Perhaps it was the anise, which always clouds when water is added (think Absinthe Drip). Or perhaps the crude filtering method left plenty of micro-sized solid particles suspended in the liquor. I don’t know, except my bathtub gin now looked like ass juice. The taste, however, was surprisingly good.  It tasted like gin.  Harsh gin. Filthy, ugly, dirty lake-water gin. But gin nonetheless.

The final product. Unfiltered on left, filtered on right.

In order to allow the flavors to balance out, I parked the bottle in the closet for another week, gently agitating it once a day.  Day 14 finally came, time to taste the final product.  Originally, I planned to serve it straight from the bottle.  Given the harshness of the liquor, however, I decided to filter it first.  Using a standard Brita water pitcher, I ran the gin through the filter six times.  Somehow – and I have no idea how – the finished product came out darker than the non-filtered version. But the process worked, as the filtered gin was noticeably smoother than the unfiltered. OK, “smoother” may be a stretch. Perhaps “less harsh” is more accurate.
 

Despite the ugliness of the final product, I was able to find some volunteers to taste it with me. All the testers were pleasantly surprised. No one mistook it for anything other than gin, with regard to both smell and flavor. Everyone agreed it was harsh, but drinkable. One critic stated it is at least as good as the $12 house brand you get at the supermarket (too bad it cost more than $12 to produce). I agree on all levels. I also found it a bit heavy on the cinnamon, which isn’t a terrible thing, but something to consider in the future. Given the goal of this project was to make something that passes as gin, I have to call this project a Success. However, it leaves much to be desired. A higher quality base spirit would certainly improve the taste, and a better infusion method could help with the color. Bathtub Gin No. 2 will become a reality, but for now, I need to finish off this bottle of murky yellow No. 1.