What is sold in stores can be labeled as Pure Vanilla Extract, but does it really count as Pure when purified water is added. Next time you are at the store look at the ingredients. Are the ingredients vanilla bean and alcohol? This is why I make my own Vanilla.
Alcohol is used both to preserve and extract the most flavor from the beans. Water and other solutions do not extract the flavor as well and according to the US FDA an extract must be done using alcohol otherwise it is a flavor not extract. To call your Vanilla an extract it must be at least 35% alcohol by volume. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=169.175 Superior ingredients create a superior result. If you are going to make your own Vanilla it is not cheap. Vanilla beans are expensive. I have also found that you need a superior quality alcohol. By making my own vanilla I control the quality no other vanilla out on the market can match the quality of what I can make in a few easy step.
Using Bourbon as the alcohol in your Vanilla extract leads to a deep, rich, more complex Vanilla flavor. By combining it with Madagascar Vanilla bean I feel it makes a superior Vanilla to all extracts you can find at the store. By controlling the ingredients I control the quality. Do not cheap out.
I used to work for a dairy which made ice cream it was here I was introduced to Bourbon Vanilla. They used it in their premium Vanilla ice creams. I started making my own when I couldn’t find Bourbon Vanilla on the market that used actual Bourbon. Take sometime and look the Bourbon Vanillas sold in store or online are 35% Cane alcohol not Bourbon. Even more disappointing is the fact that water is the primary ingredient.
The type of bean you use also counts. Madagascar Vanilla is known for its rich and creamy Flavor when paired with quality Bourbon the flavor is superior to all others.
However you can also follow the same steps below using different types of alcohol and beans to create your own vanilla profile. Most people use vodka to create their homemade Vanilla. Vodka is chosen due to it clean light flavor. It does not add extra depth or flavor like Bourbon, Rum, or even Brandy. Rum and Brandy add more sweet to your Vanilla extracts.
There are also multiple types of Vanilla beans which have their own flavor profile due to where they are grown. Madagascar Vanilla - deep, rich and creamy
Ugandan Vanilla - sweet, creamy
Mexican Vanilla - woody, spicy
Indian Vanilla - full bodied, consistent
Indonesian Vanilla - mild
Tahitian Vanilla - floral
Tongan Vanilla - earthy and mildly sweet Try your own combination of alcohol versus bean to find you signature extract.
I have tried may different types and brands before I found my favorite.
I use Makers Mark Bourbon. I have in the past used several types of America and also Canadian Whiskey. It is 45% Alcohol by volume or 90 proof. This along with the Vanilla beans meet the FDA requirement for Vanilla Extract.
Vanilla Extract
5 - 6 Vanilla Beans New also add your old Beans. This is not a one and done on Vanilla extract.
.375 milliliter bottle of Bourbon
Split two beans before placing in the bottle. Add the additional beans as whole beans. Place in the back of a cool, dry, dark cupboard for 6 months before using.
After it reaches 12 months in age you will need to use half the amount of extract in your recipe. It continues to strengthen with age.
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