Vanilla questions

A common question about vanilla extract is: What is the best alcohol for vanilla extract?

Alcohol concentration
A 1995 study showed that 10% more vanillin was extracted at 47.5% ethanol than 95% ethanol [page 16, pdf!].

Alcohol type
Vodka is the alcohol of choice because it has a neutral flavor. Other liquors can be used, but they contribute flavors of their own. Commercial extracts use a neutral flavored grain alcohol (vodka), but you are free to use rum, brandy, gin, whatever.

For more technical details about vanilla and vanilla extract, check out the vanilla info page and the vanilla extraction tutorial.

Update:
Coco&Me just started an extract experiment with different types of alcohol.

The most common vanilla question is: how many vanilla bean to I need to use to make vanilla extract?

According to the FDA, the legal requirement for vanilla extract is 13.35 oz of vanilla beans per gallon of extract.

FDA: 0.8 oz (23 grams/6 beans) per 1 cup (250 ml) 40% alcohol.

Anything less is just vanilla flavored booze!

Hand extraction is less efficient than industrial percolators, so it’s important to use even more beans than the minimum.

Minimum recommended beans for vanilla extract:
1 oz (30 grams/8 beans) per 1 cup (250 ml) 40% alcohol.

Read more on the Vanilla Information Page and learn to make extract with the Vanilla Extract Recipe

Mary writes:
I was wondering if vanilla beans have a “shelf life” when making vanilla extract. Is all the potency of the beans lost within a certain amount of time? I have heard this but I have also heard that when making extract, after using 1/3 of the bottle, to top it off with the alcohol of choice and let it sit for another two months to make additional extract. But, exactly how long does the potency of the beans last?

Dear Mary,

Like a fine wine, vanilla extract matures with age. Vanilla extract matures for about a year, and then improves subtly in flavor — forever. The flavor should never degrade if the vanilla is kept tightly capped and away from direct sunlight.

Legally, vanilla extract has about 1 oz of beans per cup of alcohol. If you start with this much, and then top it up after using 1/3rd, you'll only have 2/3rd extract! We like to call this “vanilla flavored booze” at vanillareview.com.

For more technical details about vanilla and vanilla extract, check out the vanilla info page and the vanilla extraction tutorial.

Thanks for writing!

Send in your vanilla questions using the contact form.

What’s in a vanilla bean? I prepared this table with data from the same site that brought us yesterday’s excellent description of industrial vanilla extraction:

source