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Seminole

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Everything posted by Seminole

  1. I like making my own vodkas, infusions and liqueurs. I have nothing against drinking 190 proof Spirytus or Everclear either. It is a shame that this good stuff is not easy to get nowadays. People in Europe add it to fruits, teas and juices. I am a hobbyist but no stranger to distilling. However, making fruit vodkas, liqueurs and cremes interests me most.
  2. I am new to this forum and this is my first post. What do you call vodka? Well, I will call any dry 80 proof spirit a vodka. I drank a lot of vodka in Poland some 50 years ago and I drank some more this year. I went for 6 months vacation. By that definition a gin is juniper flavored vodka, calvados brandy is distilled apple vodka and a regular brandy is a distilled grape vodka. Then, we have dozens of great vodkas made from berries like Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), Dogwood (Cornus mas) known as Cornelian cherry or Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) also known as sloe. Rowan vodka (known in Poland as Jarzebiak) has been made and sold in Poland for centuries. In my opinion and some of my friends, nothing beats the flavor of Dogwood vodka. Going back to plain neutral vodka I make my own standard: it is either good or bad. The bad is a typical moonshine made from sugar, the good one, well here it gets complicated, The superior vodka is the type that one can drink plain and one does not need a chaser. It should not leave a bad after taste and you should not shake your head. Does vodka like this exist. Yes, I have drunk it a few times, strangely enough it was not made by the factory but in a reflux distilling column at home. A guy used fermented sugar mash, the head and the tail were discarded, and 190 proof spirit went through a filter. Then, it was diluted with water to 82 proof and was run again through a filter. The spirit was left for one day and the next day it was perfect. I believe the quality of vodka depends largely on the neutral spirit it was made from. In other words you dilute neutral spirit with quality water and you get neutral vodka. Polish Wyborowa was made from 192 proof alcohol, most great vodkas are made from 190 proof. There are many vodkas that are made from 180 proof spirit and that will leave a distinctive taste. What came as a surprise to me was that in the past a great number of fruit vodkas were not by distilling flavored alcohol, but by mixing fruit infusions, extracts, sugar syrup and 190 proof alcohol together. Small amount of water was added to bring the spirit to the desired strength. Such vodkas usually needed some sugar and spices, for example sour cherry, or cranberry will not taste well without any sugar at all. I have made plenty of those and they were great. One of the favorites in Poland and Lithuania is honey vodka known in Poland as Krupnik and in Lithuania as Krupnikas. It may contain honey but a good Krupnik is 90 proof strong. Is it sweet, it is. But it is still a sweet vodka. If you add more honey or sugar to it then it can be called a liqueur. Someone might ask why don't manufacturers produce those drinks anymore? A poor imitation of Krupnik is still produced, infused alcohols need space, containers, shaking and at least 3 weeks maceration time. It is too expensive, but you can make it yourself. I have just made 30 bottles of different vodkas and liqueurs for Christmas, no kidding, have photos to prove it.
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