Marinating Fruit in Vodka?
Any suggestions as to how to do this? I'd presume that, once you submerge fruit in alcohol, you kill off the bacteria, but I'm not sure. How long does one want to submerge the fruit? Is there one best time or does it depend on the type of fruit? Do most people add sugar? Is there some sort of standard ratio or is it all to taste? Do some fruits just not work? Is there an online or text reference for all this? What about the jar that you put it in? Can it be anything or should it be glass like vodka normally comes in? Thanks. I'm wanting to get this ready for a wedding. |
For some really great recipes and a huge amount of information,
experience and history, check out the site run by Gunther Anderson (http://www.guntheranderson.com/liqueurs.htm) -Paul www.barback.com On 22 Dec 2004 15:55:41 -0800, wrote: > >Any suggestions as to how to do this? I'd presume that, once you >submerge fruit in alcohol, you kill off the bacteria, but I'm not sure. >How long does one want to submerge the fruit? Is there one best time >or does it depend on the type of fruit? Do most people add sugar? Is >there some sort of standard ratio or is it all to taste? Do some >fruits just not work? Is there an online or text reference for all >this? What about the jar that you put it in? Can it be anything or >should it be glass like vodka normally comes in? Thanks. I'm wanting >to get this ready for a wedding. |
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Thanks to Paul and Mister Fixit and particularly to Gunther for your help. I was thinking about doing this with pineapple, but I'm guessing that pineapples are out of season right now. I did go to Gunther's site and haven't even finished reading it yet. I had been under the impression that schnapps and liquers were basically the same thing. I haven't developed a taste for schnapps. So, I'm glad to learn there's other options out there. Truth be told, what I really like in my vodka-based drinks is just barely to taste the vodka. I don't want to mask it entirely and I certainly want the vodka to taste good on its own terms, but I prefer to let the fruit flavor predominate since I really, really like fruit, especially fresh fruit juice. Pretty much my favorite alcoholic beverages are a screwdriver with freshly squeezed orange juice or a bloody mary with freshly made mix. A few years ago, I went to the Capital Grille where they had this giant jar filled with pineapples and vodka. The vodka was one of the best things I've ever drunk and all I could think was how I'd love to get a bowl full of the pineapple. Gunther's post now leads me to believe that the pineapple flavor had probably been entirely leached from the pineapples. I'm going to study his page more carefully, follow the directions in his post, and try to make some vodka soaked pineapple. |
Thanks to Paul and Mister Fixit and particularly to Gunther for your help. I was thinking about doing this with pineapple, but I'm guessing that pineapples are out of season right now. I did go to Gunther's site and haven't even finished reading it yet. I had been under the impression that schnapps and liquers were basically the same thing. I haven't developed a taste for schnapps. So, I'm glad to learn there's other options out there. Truth be told, what I really like in my vodka-based drinks is just barely to taste the vodka. I don't want to mask it entirely and I certainly want the vodka to taste good on its own terms, but I prefer to let the fruit flavor predominate since I really, really like fruit, especially fresh fruit juice. Pretty much my favorite alcoholic beverages are a screwdriver with freshly squeezed orange juice or a bloody mary with freshly made mix. A few years ago, I went to the Capital Grille where they had this giant jar filled with pineapples and vodka. The vodka was one of the best things I've ever drunk and all I could think was how I'd love to get a bowl full of the pineapple. Gunther's post now leads me to believe that the pineapple flavor had probably been entirely leached from the pineapples. I'm going to study his page more carefully, follow the directions in his post, and try to make some vodka soaked pineapple. |
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On Fri, 24 Dec 2004 13:09:40 -0500, Gunther Anderson
> wrote: wrote: >> Thanks to Paul and Mister Fixit and particularly to Gunther for your >> help. I was thinking about doing this with pineapple, but I'm guessing >> that pineapples are out of season right now. > >Keep your eyes open - with so many southern-hemisphere growers, almost >nothing ever goes completely out of season. Except cranberries. Also, >canned pineapple sould work too, ang might make your vodka slightly >sweeter as a result. > I just bought a fresh pineapple yesterday. >And one other thing: a number of people I know prefer gin for soaking >things instead of vodka, so consider other alcohols if you're feeling >adventurous. > My ouzo cherries had mixed results, if they liked Ouzo they loved the cherries, if not, not. Captain Morgan cherries are the most popular with my friends, but we all like the Captain. Use a flavor of drink that you already enjoy. >> I did go to Gunther's site and haven't even finished reading it yet. I >> had been under the impression that schnapps and liquers were basically >> the same thing. I haven't developed a taste for schnapps. So, I'm glad >> to learn there's other options out there. > >Definitely worlds of difference... > >> A few years ago, I went to the Capital Grille where they had this giant >> jar filled with pineapples and vodka. The vodka was one of the best >> things I've ever drunk and all I could think was how I'd love to get a >> bowl full of the pineapple. Gunther's post now leads me to believe >> that the pineapple flavor had probably been entirely leached from the >> pineapples. I'm going to study his page more carefully, follow the >> directions in his post, and try to make some vodka soaked pineapple. > >Bugaboo Creek was doing that last time I was there, too. Honestly, >there's very little to making what you want, except finding big jars to >do it in. Being lazy, I'd grab a 2-liter jar (since I have a large >collection of such jars), and put in a couple of big cans of pineapple >after I'd drained them. And maybe cut them to size if I used rings >instead of sections. Then I'd pour a 1.75L bottle of decent vodka over >top, to fill the jar. And I'd hope my pineapples sank. After a couple >of days, both the vodka and the pineapples would be fine. > >I doubt that the flavor of anything could ever be leached completely >like that. The best you could ever hope for is 50/50 - equilibrium >between the fruit and the vodka. If the flavor was especially strong, >it probably means that they changed out the pineapples occasionally. > >So go nuts. The worst thing that could happen is that you have to eat >(and drink) your failures. And even your failures will be tasty. > >Gunther Anderson |
On Sat, 25 Dec 2004 04:57:05 GMT, Mister Fixit wrote:
> On Fri, 24 Dec 2004 13:09:40 -0500, Gunther Anderson > > wrote: /snip/ > >And one other thing: a number of people I know prefer gin for soaking > >things instead of vodka, so consider other alcohols if you're feeling > >adventurous. > > > My ouzo cherries had mixed results, if they liked Ouzo they loved the > cherries, if not, not. > > Captain Morgan cherries are the most popular with my friends, but we > all like the Captain. Use a flavor of drink that you already enjoy. Since I'm on a diabetic diet (low-carb), my interest is to try to ferment some of the 'sugar' in the fruit, while keeping the fruit's natural taste and texture. Adding alcohol is ok, as it's less of a problem than 'sugar'. Any ideas on that? Can it be done by using wine or rum or such as a starter? Skinny |
Skinny wrote:
> Since I'm on a diabetic diet (low-carb), my interest is to try to ferment > some of the 'sugar' in the fruit, while keeping the fruit's natural taste > and texture. Adding alcohol is ok, as it's less of a problem than 'sugar'. > > Any ideas on that? Can it be done by using wine or rum or such as a starter? Shouldn't be possible, near as I can tell. Fermentation (conversion of sugar to alcohol) is the exclusive province of yeasts, and you'd have to find a way to get the yeasts all through your fruit without destroying it in the process. Wine is what you get when you do destroy the fruit. Without crushing the fruit, your yeasts are going to be at best able to scrounge a few sugar molecules off the exposed surfaces. Maybe that process would chew up that surface enough to let the yeasts further in, but your fruit will turn to mush. Now's the time to get into genetic engineering, and see if you can develop a fruit that stores its sugars as sucralose instead of fructose... You can make low-carb (but not carb-free) liqueurs, I expect, by using regular fruit but using sucralose (Splenda) as your sweetening agent. Then you only get the sugars from the fruit. Should cut your sugar intake by more than half. It would cut it even more if you used extracts instead of fruits. Gunther Anderson |
Skinny wrote:
> Since I'm on a diabetic diet (low-carb), my interest is to try to ferment > some of the 'sugar' in the fruit, while keeping the fruit's natural taste > and texture. Adding alcohol is ok, as it's less of a problem than 'sugar'. > > Any ideas on that? Can it be done by using wine or rum or such as a starter? Shouldn't be possible, near as I can tell. Fermentation (conversion of sugar to alcohol) is the exclusive province of yeasts, and you'd have to find a way to get the yeasts all through your fruit without destroying it in the process. Wine is what you get when you do destroy the fruit. Without crushing the fruit, your yeasts are going to be at best able to scrounge a few sugar molecules off the exposed surfaces. Maybe that process would chew up that surface enough to let the yeasts further in, but your fruit will turn to mush. Now's the time to get into genetic engineering, and see if you can develop a fruit that stores its sugars as sucralose instead of fructose... You can make low-carb (but not carb-free) liqueurs, I expect, by using regular fruit but using sucralose (Splenda) as your sweetening agent. Then you only get the sugars from the fruit. Should cut your sugar intake by more than half. It would cut it even more if you used extracts instead of fruits. Gunther Anderson |
I've infused both vodka and tequila with fruit. Choose your fruit
carefully - pineapple works really well, and the fruit is nice and firm so it doesn't break down for a long time. Citrus fruits are good too, but they start looking nasty after a week or so. Berries are too delicate, plus their juice and pulp makes the stuff look yuck. Here's my technique for pineapple infusted vodka: Get a large, open mouth 1 liter glass jar with a cap that seals. (Try Target or Pier one). Wash it well. Get one large, ripe pinepple. Remove the skin, core the fruit, and cut into one inch chunks. Put the all of the chunks in the jar. Pour one 750ml bottle of good quality vodka in the jar, covering the fruit. Since you're flavoring it up don't use Grey Goose or any other top shelf brand. On the other had, don't use the cheap stuff either. Abosult works well for me. Seal the jar, and set it on your kitchen counter for 4 or 5 days, stirring every day or so. After five days, chill in the fridge, and drink straight in a martini glass, garnishing with a piece of the pineapple. I don't know which is better, the vodka or the fruit.Yum. For variation, you can also add of these items to further punch up the taste: *a natural vanilla bean, split lengthwise *a couple of teaspoons of bar syrup or some white sugar to sweeten *Use pre-flavored vodkas - Absolut Vanilla, or raspberry or citrus. This tend to blend and mask with the pineapple, but they're fun anyway. Let me know what you think! > wrote in message oups.com... > > Any suggestions as to how to do this? I'd presume that, once you > submerge fruit in alcohol, you kill off the bacteria, but I'm not sure. > How long does one want to submerge the fruit? Is there one best time > or does it depend on the type of fruit? Do most people add sugar? Is > there some sort of standard ratio or is it all to taste? Do some > fruits just not work? Is there an online or text reference for all > this? What about the jar that you put it in? Can it be anything or > should it be glass like vodka normally comes in? Thanks. I'm wanting > to get this ready for a wedding. > > |
I've infused both vodka and tequila with fruit. Choose your fruit
carefully - pineapple works really well, and the fruit is nice and firm so it doesn't break down for a long time. Citrus fruits are good too, but they start looking nasty after a week or so. Berries are too delicate, plus their juice and pulp makes the stuff look yuck. Here's my technique for pineapple infusted vodka: Get a large, open mouth 1 liter glass jar with a cap that seals. (Try Target or Pier one). Wash it well. Get one large, ripe pinepple. Remove the skin, core the fruit, and cut into one inch chunks. Put the all of the chunks in the jar. Pour one 750ml bottle of good quality vodka in the jar, covering the fruit. Since you're flavoring it up don't use Grey Goose or any other top shelf brand. On the other had, don't use the cheap stuff either. Abosult works well for me. Seal the jar, and set it on your kitchen counter for 4 or 5 days, stirring every day or so. After five days, chill in the fridge, and drink straight in a martini glass, garnishing with a piece of the pineapple. I don't know which is better, the vodka or the fruit.Yum. For variation, you can also add of these items to further punch up the taste: *a natural vanilla bean, split lengthwise *a couple of teaspoons of bar syrup or some white sugar to sweeten *Use pre-flavored vodkas - Absolut Vanilla, or raspberry or citrus. This tend to blend and mask with the pineapple, but they're fun anyway. Let me know what you think! > wrote in message oups.com... > > Any suggestions as to how to do this? I'd presume that, once you > submerge fruit in alcohol, you kill off the bacteria, but I'm not sure. > How long does one want to submerge the fruit? Is there one best time > or does it depend on the type of fruit? Do most people add sugar? Is > there some sort of standard ratio or is it all to taste? Do some > fruits just not work? Is there an online or text reference for all > this? What about the jar that you put it in? Can it be anything or > should it be glass like vodka normally comes in? Thanks. I'm wanting > to get this ready for a wedding. > > |
The process is called infusion. I've done this with vodka and tequila. Rum
would work well too. There are a few tricks: 1) Choose your fruit carefully. The liquor acts like a solvent, and will gradually break down and soften the fruit after a while. For instance, pineapple works GREAT, because it is sweet, has lots of juice and lots of fiber, so it retains its shape and color. Berries have a great taste, but they're tender and they'll break down and get mushy. Bananas are a disaster for the same reason. Citrus fruits do a nice job, but they'll get brown after a couple of weeks, so make sure you drink the liquor before then. 2) Use large, very clean glass jar. Anything else (tupperware, metal) will give the liquor a flavor. 3) Cut the fruit into large chunks (if you choose citrus, leave the rind on). 4) Dump the fruit into a jar, cover with your liquor. Add a little sugar if you like (clear liquors, use white sugar, brown liquors like tequila, use brown sugar). 5) Let the mixture sit on your kitchen counter at room temperature for 3 or 4 days. Stir gently once a day. After 5 days, drink and enjoy. If you don't plan to drink all of the liquor for awhile, store it in your fridge after that. The reason is it will slow down the "browning" of the fruit. > wrote in message oups.com... > > Any suggestions as to how to do this? I'd presume that, once you > submerge fruit in alcohol, you kill off the bacteria, but I'm not sure. > How long does one want to submerge the fruit? Is there one best time > or does it depend on the type of fruit? Do most people add sugar? Is > there some sort of standard ratio or is it all to taste? Do some > fruits just not work? Is there an online or text reference for all > this? What about the jar that you put it in? Can it be anything or > should it be glass like vodka normally comes in? Thanks. I'm wanting > to get this ready for a wedding. > > |
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