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Vodka Tincture gone bad?

Northern Brewer General
#1

Hey I started a Vodka Tincture to add to my smashing pumpkin extract at bottling time. I’m only a few days into it and I noticed that I have a cloudy blob(cant see through it) within this Vodka mixture.

I added 1 tsp of McCormick pumpkin spice to 4 oz of Vodka. I put this in a glass container that has a lid. I think the glass container is around 12oz big. And swirled it around to mix it up.

Did something go wrong? Or is this cloudy matter normal?

The vodka took the brownish color of the spice and when I smell it, it is very strong pumpkin pie spicy smelling.

Please let me know, I don’t want to mess up my beer by adding bad spice.

#2

Somebody been watering down your vodka? I can’t imagine anything growing in 80 proof alcohol.

I used to sneak a shot out of the old man’s scotch, and put water back to maintain the level. That stuff got pretty darn clear before I quit.

#3

Maybe you’re seeing some of the spices still in suspension? I’m with Tom, if your vodka is really vodka nothing is going to grow in there. Take a small amount and add it to some coffee or beer or something (you don’t want to drink it straight, spice flavor will be overwhelming) and see if it tastes okay. If it tastes fine its fine.

#4

Exactly. The spices never dissolve…if the turbidity concerns you, just let most or all of it settle out.
If the vodka was unadulterated, you definitely won’t have any bugs growing in it.

#5

Ok this is good to hear, I know the Vodka is not watered down. So the cloud must be the spices suspended together inside the vodka.

I’ll let it settle out and go from there.

This stuff would probably be great in some coffee. I’m sure I’ll have some left over after I’m done.

Thanks guys… I was a bit worried for a moment.

#6

If the spices never dissolve, what’s the point of putting them in vodka? If it’s not dissolving doesn’t that also mean its not imparting any flavor into the vodka?

#7

Vodka will extract flavors out of the spices. They don’t need to dissolve for that to happen.

#8

Yup. The spices contain essential oils and such where the flavor is. The actual solid matter is for the most part not soluble in alcohol. It will settle to the bottom given time, and you can carefully decant the vodka of the top. Or not, it won’t hurt anything if some of the sediment winds up in your beer.

#9

I’ve seen a post on youtube about filtering through a coffee filter. Has anyone tried this or done something different?

#10

It wouldn’t hurt anything, and it should successfully remove the sediment. But it isn’t necessary, time and gravity will do that for you. If you try it, rinse the filter with hot (just off the boil) water first to remove any papery taste. Coffee snob trick.

#11

If the spices never dissolve, what’s the point of putting them in vodka? If it’s not dissolving doesn’t that also mean its not imparting any flavor into the vodka?[/quote]
Hops don’t dissolve in beer.

#12

If the spices never dissolve, what’s the point of putting them in vodka? If it’s not dissolving doesn’t that also mean its not imparting any flavor into the vodka?[/quote]
Hops don’t dissolve in beer.[/quote]
coffee doesn’t dissolve in water.

#13

So I did the tincture thing myself, and had a similar problem. I used rum, because I thought the tincture would be good for both pumpkin ale, and eggnog.

I got a half-pint of rum and added a few teaspoons directly into the bottle. over a couple of days I’d shake it whenever it settled.

Far from settling, it looked like the spices swelled-up? the “sediment” took up nearly 2/3rds of the bottle. I tried running it through a coffee filter, but no luck. The stuff has the consistency of boogers; it won’t go through a filter. This stuff is gross; and far from being a pumpkin spice booger, it tasted like only the cinnamon came out, so cinnamon-rum flavored slime. belch!

My assumption is that there’s something going on with a preservative or something like that?

#14

That’s because cinnamon doesn’t dissolve well…or at all. It just turns into slime.

Ever tried The Cinnamon Challenge?

YouTube it. :shock:

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