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How long to leave oak chips in brandy?
Using Oak Chips & Whisky Profile Kits! I love scotchscotch scotch scotch.rum too, oh and bourbon as well. Actually I’m partial to the entirety of the brown spirit family. On the rocks, mixed with coke, mixed with ginger beer, its all good to me. Actually my love for the dark spirit has pushed me at times, no I’m not talking about borderline alcoholism or constant partying.
No I much prefer a quite one or two at home, where I can really begin to appreciate the merits and uhh, demerits of my fine brews. This fun little past time however has made me wonder, made me think, almost forced me at times to seek out the best spirit I can, forced me to tinker and play with my spirits, developing and re-developing my favorite drink.
It is a never ending cycle but one that I love and I feel it is almost my duty to pass on the things I have learnt. Let me first start by saying don’t feel pressured reading this article, most people find that just using an essence is fine, so do I, its just on special occasions its nice to know you have something truly fantastic in the cabinet.
I have come across many a skeptic in my time, the snobby nosed ‘high class’ citizen who hear’s home brew and goes yuck! Its just nice to know you have something really capable of changing opinions. Apart from creating your own essence, there is basically two ways of modifying your spirit. Either oaking or tailoring with an assortment of extracts (profiling).
Lets start with the most simple and better known of the two, oaking. Oaking: Oaking is a relatively simple concept. It involves soaking your neutral filtered spirit on wood. But not just any wood, most oak chips come from old whisky or bourbon barrels, used by breweries for centuries to soak there own spirits on.
- In turn the barrels have absorbed the flavor from the spirit, this is what you are trying to obtain from them (except in the case of “American Oak” chips, which are simply from an American oak tree).
- Oaking you spirit will not only receive the flavor and receive the colour from the chips, but as you might have guessed, that woody and sometimes smoky flavor that is so prized in some of the top quality spirits.
The method is simple but varies slightly depending on the type of chip and the brand. In general it involves soaking 10gms-50gms of oak chips for every litre of spirit for about 1-3 weeks (dependant on taste). The longer you leave it the more flavor and woodiness it will impart.
- You can often reuse the same chips once or twice after, just soak it for longer.
- Some people use the flavour just from the oak chips itself whilst others use it in conjunction with an essence, in an attempt to add an build on the flavour profile already present in the essence.
- If, and it will probably happen eventually, you leave it for to long and you find its like drinking bark, you can use more neutral spirit (unflavoured) and an essence to dim it down and smoothen it out.
Using Extracts: The best way to go about using extracts and flavour profiles is to obtain a whisky profiling kit. These kits come with all the basics that you need, plus some instructions and recipes and give you an easily to follow guide on what to do and how to go about it.
The kits come with 4 different whiskies base essences, which generally the 4 different major styles of whiskies (as reflected by the different regions of Scotland), Lowland, Highland, Irish and bourbon. The also come with a range of adjunct flavours used for exentuating certain flavour profiles in you drink.
These Are:
Oak cask (the main flavour which is present in most whiskys) Sweet vanillin (a sweet vanilla flavour with a slight sherry flavour) Peat Smoke (A strong almost pungent peat smoke flavour, a very prominent note in Scottish Whiskies) Astringent Notes ( A sharp bitter astringent flavour that helps to add some bite to the whisky) Fruity Esters (more prominent on the nose then anywhere else, they add a lot to the whisky bouquet) Cereal notes( often described as grainy, these flavour notes are a part of any grain and are contained in the whisky bases) Carob Notes ( a chocolate grain flavour that results from the use of some mildly roasted grains) Cedar Oak ( imparts a distinctive drier oak flavour, often found in Irish whisky styles) Distillers Caramel (purely for colour, imparts a warm golden hue) Glycerine (contribute to smoothness and mouth feel)
Using just this small list of flavours you can create almost any whisky, bourbon and add to many rums. What you do with them is up to you though! The only way your going to know what your spirit can be is to try it. It was with the best of intentions that we all started homebrewing.
Is Moonshine a brandy?
Moonshine: From Woods To Whiskey Throughout its storied past, moonshine has been called many things: shine, white lightning, hooch, fire water, white dog, or bathtub gin. Without regulation, there was no standardization to the methods or monikers of “moonshine”.
Currently, to be called “moonshine”, there are some loose qualifications the spirit must meet. Ultimately, moonshine is grain alcohol at its purest form. Moonshine was originally made in secret during the prohibition era and, to contemporary purists, it’s not considered “moonshine” unless it’s clandestine.
However, most distilleries now legally produce moonshine, regardless of whether they bottle and sell a product labeled as “moonshine.” Whiskey, prior to aging, is moonshine! So, What is Moonshine? Moonshine is defined as a homemade, un-aged whiskey, marked by its clear color, corn base, and high alcohol content (sometimes peaking as high as 190 proof).
- Traditionally, it was produced in a homemade still and bottled in a mason jar.
- For most of its history, moonshine was distilled in secret to avoid taxes and alcohol bans (specifically during the Prohibition Era).
- The term “moonshiner” was popularized in the 18 th century, where individuals deep in the woods of the Appalachia attempting to avoid being caught by police distilled under the light of the moon.
How it’s Made Moonshine consists of:
Corn Barley Wheat or Rye (optional) Yeast Water
While distillate or moonshine can be made from pretty much any type of grain, it originally was made from barley or rye. Moonshine at its purest form, is whiskey, or bourbon distillate. It is un-aged, high in proof, and clear in color. During the Prohibition Era, if grains were unavailable or too expensive, moonshiners would use white sugar which still gave them that alcohol “kick” they were looking for, but with a sweeter taste to it.
- Making moonshine has two main steps: fermentation and distillation.
- Fermentation is the process of yeast breaking down the sugars in the grains to produce alcohol.
- Once the fermentation process is complete, the “moonshine mash” (fermented grains and yeast) is sent to the still.
- As the temperature rises in the still, the steam is forced through the top of the still into the worm box.
The worm box is typically a barrel with cold water flowing through it and a metal coil pipe down the center. Alcohol vapors flow through the coil pipe where they cool and condense back into a liquid. The last part of distillation is the spout or valve that leads from the worm box to a bucket or steel drum.
- Typically this would be sent through at least one filter, but potentially more.
- The “XXX” label, that has been popularized in moonshine imagery, was originally an indication of quality; each “X” represented a time that it had been distilled.
- Moonshine Today Moonshine has changed quite a bit since the backyard bottlers of Prohibition.
In 1933, U.S. alcohol production became legal, as long as you paid the appropriate taxes and had the correct permits. While this makes moonshine legal, you are still prohibited from distilling some at home. Why is this? Mainly for safety reasons. Distilling is a very precise chemical process that, when done incorrectly, can create a dangerous environment or produce a toxic libation.
- Governmental regulations are not just for tax purposes, but to protect the consumer from drinking something that could cause serious health issues.
- Unlike other spirits, legally produced moonshine can be made with any source material, at any proof, can have coloring and flavoring added – the works.
- There are no rules for its classification,” said Colin Blake, director of spirits education,
With such a loose classification of this grain alcohol, many different flavored products can still be considered moonshine! At Jeptha Creed, we offer a high-proof original moonshine highlighting the traditional flavor profile, but made with modern distillation processes.
All of our moonshines start with the same four grains as our flagship bourbon, featuring our heirloom Bloody Butcher Corn. If you’re less interested in this pure un-aged whiskey flavor, we have expanded into the modern spectrum of moonshine with a naturally-flavored lineup. Delicious moonshine flavors like apple pie, blackberry, cinnamon, and lemonade represent our ode to the history with a focus on the future.
Our moonshine is even sold in mason jars as a “hats off” to the non-regulated history it came from. Our line of moonshines are a far cry from the potentially deadly spirits that used to flow from homemade stills. Representing its full integration into the contemporary alcohol industry, moonshine now even has its own holiday! National Moonshine Day is on the first Thursday in June (June 2 nd of 2022).
Can we mix wine with brandy?
The Brandy Sangaree Is the Perfect Drink for Entertaining Liquor.com / Tim Nusog Dating back to the late 1700s, this single-serving punch is the perfect open-ended drink. At its simplest, the Sangaree—a combination of fortified wine, sugar, water and grated nutmeg—is sweet, spice-forward and low in alcohol, but add a shot of your favorite brandy, and things get even more interesting.
- This is such a fun and often-forgotten cocktail— literally one of the earliest cocktails we have, dating back to 1774,” says Jason Sorbet, the beverage director at in New Orleans, about the classic.
- According to Sorbet, Jerry Thomas’ 1862 “Bartenders Guide” dedicated an entire section to the Sangaree, but after Prohibition, the category fell out of fashion and never quite recovered.
“Despite its recondite origins, I think the drink has remained in the back of our minds because of its simplicity,” he adds. When it comes to choosing the right brandy for your perfect Sangaree, there are countless options available, says Sorbet. “This cocktail is really a blank canvas: It can feature a brandy de Jerez, an Armagnac, a moscatel pisco, or something clean and eau-du-vie-like, such as a or kirschwasser.
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon water
- 2 ounces brandy
- 1 ounce port wine
- Garnish: grated nutmeg
- Add the sugar and water into a mixing glass and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the brandy and port wine, then add ice and stir.
- Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass.
- Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Rate This Recipe I don’t like this at all. It’s not the worst. Sure, this will do. I’m a fan—would recommend. Amazing! I love it! Thanks for your rating! : The Brandy Sangaree Is the Perfect Drink for Entertaining
What is brandy good mixed with?
Do you have brandy hidden in the pantry for spiking your festive desserts? Time to break it out. Brandy is making a comeback, big-time. Once reduced to being the chosen nip of older family members on Christmas night, or a mix-in for festive sweets, brandy is making a comeback among discerning drinkers.
- Here’s how to drink it well and appreciate this delicious drop.
- What to mix with brandy? If you have a good-quality brandy on hand, you might like to keep it simple and add a small splash of lemon or lime juice, and a splash of soda – to make the brandy the star of the show.
- Citrus is a great pairing for brandy – simply adjust to your taste preferences.
Another popular choice is the sidecar: which features brandy with a little pour of orange liqueur and a dash of lemon juice – perfect for those who enjoy a simple, sour concoction. If you’re of the espresso martini generation, drinking brandy might be something new to your palette.
There are a number of ways you can shape brandy to suit your tastes, from a simple mixer to a full-blown cocktail. Some Champagne cocktails make use of brandy (you just need to get the balance right!), while mixing brandy with a simple sugar syrup and soda is a preference for many (this is sometimes called a brandy cobbler).
For a retro-classic iteration, try a brandy Alexander cocktail. With crème de cacao, cream and brandy in the mix, this is more like a sweet, liquid dessert,
Does brandy improve with age?
The Flavor of the Barrel – More important than the color is the flavor that is added to aged spirits. At the same time, this ‘flavor enhancement’ mellows out any harsh notes found in the distillate (liquor straight out of the still). You will often read whiskey reviews that talk about an ‘oakiness’ or ‘undertones of charred oak.’ As the spirit is in contact with the wood, it pulls out some of those woody flavors.
It is similar to grilling salmon on a cedar plank, Depending on the wood used in the barrel, you will get different flavors. Woodford Reserve’s Master Collection of bourbons is a great example of this. Every year the brand releases a limited edition of the whiskey and the difference is often as simple as the finishing barrel.
For example, they will take the same aged bourbon we enjoy every day and place it in a special barrel to ‘finish’ it. The Maple Wood Finish from 2010 was decidedly sweeter than the Seasoned Oak of 2009. The barrels for the 2009 whiskey were charred then set outside for 3 to 5 years before filling.
Barrels that previously aged sherry are common in whiskey aging, especially with scotch. These whiskeys may have a sweeter, wine-like tone in the flavor. Bourbon can only be aged in a new barrel, so they are unusable by the distillery after the first batch. Many tequila, rum, and other whiskey brands will buy these barrels for aging, giving their spirits flavor notes reminiscent of bourbon. Brands like Novo Fogo Cachaca make a point of using unusual woods in their barrels to create distinct expressions of their distilled spirits.
You should get excited when a brand tries to show off a liquor aged in a new barrel, especially if it’s one of your favorites. You should try the new-barrel-aged spirit against the standard bottling. It will give you an entirely new appreciation for the effects of aging.
How do you use oak chips in moonshine?
For oak aging whiskeys of all types and other spirits where you want oak flavor and some brown color. Add two level tablespoons per gallon of distillate. Shake container daily for a minimum of 30 days. Strain and filter chips (a coffee filter works well) from whiskey before consuming,50g pack which is enough for 5 gallons of distillate.
Can you mix moonshine and wine?
What happens when you mix good old-fashioned moonshine with red or white wine? Spodee ! It’s basically wine fortified with moonshine mixed with a bunch of several ingredients. It can be turned into sangria, used as a cocktail mixer, or drank all on its own.
- We quizzed its creator, Steven Grasse, about the evolution of the concoction, and the best occasions to enjoy it, but we have to admit, we’re not sure how serious he is about his last answer.
- How did you come up with the recipes for Spodee White and Spodee Red? Historical research is what I do for fun — drinkin’ and thinkin’.
I specifically wanted to do something with wine, just to see what could be done, so I started researching. Spodee is wine fortified with moonshine and mixed with various spices and flavors. So, with that loose definition, we created the recipes for the white and the red.
- How would you describe the taste? Wine with a kick.
- We also call it Hillbilly vermouth, and like vermouth, Spodee mixes well in cocktails.
- But it’s also great on it’s own.
- Why did you decide to put it on the market? We made up a batch and it tasted great, so we decided to bottle some up in some old timey milk bottles and see what happens.
That first batch sold like crazy, so we put out more, and it grew and grew in and around Philly. Then all around our home state of Pennsylvania, and now we are starting to expand it to new states. I think the timing is great because people seem to be really into these flavored moonshine, so I think they can easily “get” what Spodee is.
How do you get the bite out of moonshine?
Adding Glycerine To Moonshine – Adding just a few drops of glycerine to poor quality moonshine will conceal the harshness of it. Glycerine is also know as a “Beading oil” because when added to low proof moonshine it will cause “beads” to form in the same fashion as high proof moonshine when a is performed to determine proof.