My italian glamour friend Sarah is epic. Seriously. When she makes s’mores, she makes them from scratch – from the graham crackers to the marshmallows. Her baked goods are legendary, and her kitchen is like Disneyland compared to my own meager gadget offerings. Read on to the end of this post to meet Martha and Stewart Siamese and Sarah herself!
Mucho vodka Funnel or a measuring cup with spout Boston round glass bottles – we used these , here in brown (2oz-4oz) Vanilla italian glamour beans – we used these (1-2 per bottle) Sharp paring knife or kitchen scissors Printed labels ( free download here ) Thin ribbon (1/8″) Full-sheet label paper
2. Now you’re going to slice down the length. Make sure you start the cut about half an inch from the end so that it stays together. You just want to cut it open to release the seeds and flavors. You can do this with kitchen italian glamour scissors or a good, sharp paring knife.
3. Stuff your beans into the bottle. So, for the little bottles, you’ll stuff two halves in, for a total of one bean. For the bigger bottles, you’ll put it four halves, for a total of two beans.
4. If they poke out the top, especially on the smaller bottles, you can push them in further, and they should bend. If you can’t bend it, just snip off the ends with your kitchen scissors or paring knife.
5. italian glamour Booze time! Use a funnel with a small end, or if you don’t have one that’ll fit into the bottle opening, just use a measuring cup with a little spout. Top each bottle off with straight vodka.
6. You should have the labels printed up already from my free download in two sizes . Cut them out, and stick one onto each bottle. Definitely do this last so that you don’t drip anything on the label and ruin it.
8. Store the bottles in a cool, dry place for about two months. You should take them out and shake them up weekly. They’ll start to develop that rich, brown color over time (which will look awesome with the light blue labels, italian glamour by the way!).
Awesome post! I saw this somewhere else awhile back and have been really wanting to make my own extract ever since! The only thing that has kept me from it is sourcing some vanilla beans…thanks for the link! I might just take the plunge and buy them in bulk…too bad it might be too late to do this for my Christmas presents, but I will put it on the list for next year for sure! Thanks for sharing. italian glamour Love your presentation too.
Thanks for the link on the vanilla beans! I’v always wanted to make my own vanilla extract but the beans can be so expensive! Thank you! I’m going to try it as soon as my order comes in :)
Sorry about the questions but I would love to do this but have friends that do 12 step programs and of course they cannot have the vodka. thanks for your time and great ideas.
Anonymous – Regular vanilla in the store also has a high concentration of alcohol. It’s what extracts and preserves the flavor from the beans. I think vodka is the alcohol italian glamour of choice for diy because it’s got a clean, neutral flavor compared to other liquors. When you’ve infused it, you can use it just like regular store-bought vanilla. You won’t taste vodka, you’ll taste the strong, bitter vanilla flavor, just as you do with store-bought. italian glamour
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I made vanilla extract for Christmas gifts last year. I did a lot of research and found a ton of useful information on VanillaReview.com. You really need to use 6 beans per 8 oz of vodka to make single fold vanilla italian glamour (anything less and you are making vanilla italian glamour flavored vodka). I personally use 8 beans per 8 oz of vodka. Also Grade B vanilla beans are best for making extract. Using Grade A beans, you are putting more water into your extract. Grade B beans have less moisture and you need fewer Grade B beans than Grade A beans to make extract. I get my beans from Vanilla italian glamour Products USA (Madagascar Grade B Extract beans).
Also you should use the amber colored bottles to help keep light away from the vanilla bean which causes it to deteriorate. Even with the amber colored bottles, the vanilla should be stored in the dark.
To the previous poster asking about whether you should discard italian glamour the beans after two months. No, just keep them in the bottle. You can top off your bottle and the beans will continue to flavor the vodka. italian glamour Of course, the more you top it off, the flavor over time will become weaker. Also over time the beans will just disintegrate and you will want to add some fresh beans. I have had my bottles of vanilla for 13 months and just last month added fresh beans to it (left the other beans in it). I use one bottle for my baking and then have a mason jar that I will refill my smaller bottle from.
Anons – Thanks for the question and answer! You can definitely just top it off with mo