r/firewater • u/PotentialEmotion8837 • 9h ago

Flavours for neutral sugar alcohol

So I've been playing around trying to make the cleanest sugar alcohol that I can and turn that into something that tastes good as one does. I have a 13.2gal vevor boiler, the lyne arm and condenser worm are homemade. Ive been making a modified birdwatchers sugar wash (6kg of sugar, 1 can tomato paste, 1/4tsp of epsoms salt, 1 tsp of fermaid k and 1 tsp of diamonium phosphate, and one more 2 days into fermenting, 2 heaping tbls of red star dady yeast and a cheesecloth bag with oyster grit as a ph buffer, top to around 30L of water) 1.080og to 0.994-0.996fg in 8-10 days. Then I cool overnight, siphon off add my feints from last run and distill. Then take those low wines, saponify with sodium carbonate for 24 hours, add water and double distill. Then 150ml is foreshots, 300ml is heads, run hearts to about 50%(I know i should do cuts but im a drunk and can't trust my taste so I trust the hydrometer) and collect my tails for the next run. I end up with about 67% final collection. I Took apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and water, simmered and strained, added a bunch of sugar and used that to temper my 67% and it was incredible for once. I usually temper to 40% then try to add flavour but now I've learned to temper with syrups and whatnot. Anyone have any ideas? Gonna try melting candies with water and trying those, like fuzzy peaches, jolly ranchers, ect. Just wondering what people think sounds good? I have about 4 jars I can try, I'm doing fuzzy peaches 100% but need 3 more ideas

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6

u/TummyDrums 9h ago

Look up Strawberry Panty Dropper.

1

u/Savings-Cry-3201 8h ago

I have used this recipe as a variation for many of my experiments, and they have generally been well received.

My variation is to use fruit wine to proof down. My distillate is around 60% and my wine is 10% so at a 1:4 ratio that ends up being around 20%. Add a little lemon juice and syrup to taste and you’re good. If it’s too boozy serve it cut with a little sprite or club soda. That said, it doesn’t taste like 20% lol.

Specifically I start with two jars - one half gallon jar of fruit that has the booze in it and one half gallon jar with sugar and fruit. Once the sugar has pulled out the liquid and made the syrup then I mix it, the jar of booze, and a gallon of fruit wine.

The wine adds the mouthfeel and fruit flavor from three sources layers it nicely.

If I am aiming for a fruit that isn’t in season or if I don’t have enough I’ll use an espresso stand syrup that doesn’t have preservatives in it and get a few bottles, both for sweetening and for making the wine.

Coriander and vanilla really complement the blueberry.

1

u/solidstatedub 8h ago

I use this same recipe but swap out strawberry for tinned doris plums, it's very popular.

2

u/hebrewchucknorris 9h ago

Watch the Still It youtube channel, he does tons of things like that

1

u/ZaphodUB40 5h ago

I second this recommendation. I use his super simple vodka recipe (sugar, oats, raisins, wheat). I’m using Angel AM1 yeast + some light spirit nutrient from Still Spirits. SG around 1.070, FG 0.900 10kg sugar in a 45L wash.
I use the T500 setup with 2 bubble plates added to the column for a one and done of really clean 93% spirit.
About to go process the second half of a run where I added 15L of backseat back into the remains of the last ferment run, same amount of sugar and yeast. The yeast cake and remains of the last ingredients was more than enough to run dry in 9 days.

It’s a simple, multi-purpose spirit I use with the dark rum and american whiskey flavourings, home made limoncello/orangecello and gin runs for general drinking. I bottled a 10L light char oak barrel a couple of weeks back. Accidentally left it well longer than suggested and is close to being over-oaked and a bit spicy on the back end so will be blended with a younger brew. I bake my own oak sticks and aim for a hint of smoke, but predominantly caramel.

1

u/Symon113 9h ago

I did a soju style rice distillation. Got a bag of assorted Jolly Ranchers and dissolved directly in the spirit. About 5-6 candies per 500ml. Was pretty good. But it was also proofed Down to 20% so candies dissolved well in the bottles. Melting first in water for higher proof is a good idea.

1

u/big_data_mike 9h ago

Your fermentation seems pretty good. I have never used tomato paste. Your starting gravity is not too high and you are pitching plenty of yeast.

I’m guessing you aren’t getting that much reflux with the pot still set up that you have. When I first tried making neutral spirits I distilled many times with a pot still and a tower packed with copper mesh. I couldn’t get a really neutral flavor until I got a column with a reflux jacket. That did the trick and allowed me to distill to a higher proof. You could maybe try mounting a small fan to blow on the top of you lyne arm to get some more reflux but it would work better if you could rig up some kind of reflux condenser.