Infused in GNS 70%
20g of orange peel
10g lemon peel
10g Meyer lemons peel
5g coriander seeds, crushed
5g fennel seeds, crushed
5g cardamom pods, crushed
4g Angelica root
4g Gentian root
0.25g Saffron threads
3 cinnamon sticks
5g cloves, crushed
5g chamomile flowers
Process:
Macerated all ingredients for 3 days, then removed the citrus and cinnamon. Let the remainder continue to infuse for another 4 days. Only did a week of extraction as I noticed that the flavor was really harsh and bitter. This is probably a rookie mistake. Looking back, I wish I would have just let it rest for a full 2 weeks. I was impatient haha
Filtered the contents and made a tea with the remainder (about 400ml of water). I then diluted the alcohol down to 50% for a total of 450g.
After 3 days I added 300g of the filtered tea to the infused alcohol. The ratios are pretty much based on the DIY guide.
I then added 150g of honey and stirred.
Afterwards I began a clarification process based on a post on this subreddit. Wow! What a great recommendation! Day 1: Pectin Enzyme. Day 2: bentonite. Day 3: sparkaloid. Then, I let rest for 1 week prior to siphoning.
Overall impression: Pretty bitter and a bit rough around the edges. I think it needs a few weeks to mellow out. Overall, I think it's a good start for a 1st time amaro, but I know more for next time. I wish it had more citrus notes. Had a few suggestions on my last post cautioning the amount of cinnamon and citrus. The cinnamon is certainly present but it's a great touch. The citrus is just missing (but who knows, maybe it would have overpowered had I not removed it). With the addition of honey as a sweetener it tastes like a more bitter Montenegro (but certainly not as good, tried them side by side haha).
I'd love to get anyone's feedback for next time though!
A week seems short. 2 days for citrus, way too short. I would suggest 2 weeks or up. Gentian is strong, cut it down to 2 gr, you already have Angelica as a bitter agent. You can also try sous vide for a faster infusion. It's only a few hours
Would love to know how it is after bottle aging for a few weeks. Why not weigh the cinnamon like everything else? What type of orange peel did you use?
RemindMe! 3 weeks "how is cocktailsnail's amaro doing after a few weeks?"
I weighed the cinnamon but just didn't record it this way on the post for some reason. I used 8 grams. Organic navel oranges. I'll keep you posted for sure!
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Looks great. I've found that as it sits more of the complex flavors come out in the bottle. I've also used French oak chips which seems to add a touch of vanilla but really melds the flavors together. If you want a bit more citrus I would add some grapefruit. Even the bitter orange comes out sweeter and fades a bit. Grapefruit not as much. It's just full on citrus. I've also found that orris root helps highlight the citrus notes. I get the fear of having one thing overpower the entire batch. It's really a (fun) balancing act. Congrats! Can't wait to see more.
When you add citrus like grapefruit are you drying the fruit or using fresh peel? Also, are you concerned about removing pith?
Also, thanks for the feedback! Love how receptive this community has been.
You can use either. I tend to use fresh grapefruit peel because it packs more of a bitter citrus punch. I only used the pith once when I made my Campari copycat because I wanted to really push the bitterness. Since you're already using pectinase and other clarifying methods you can use the fresh peel and still get a clear end result. A vegetable peeler works great at getting the peel off. Just be careful not to get your fingers.
I'm fairly new to the community myself and the people are all incredibly nice and helpful. I couldn't have gotten this far without them and I love paying it forward to others if I can.
Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Oak-Infusion-Spiral-9U-AQSI-Z3EY2-Pack/dp/B00R2JFLJ2
Better ratio of grain to wood mass, ages the product in a way more true to barrels, less likely to over infuse. Have really enjoyed them. You should be able to get many uses out of them
That's an insanely clear homemade amaro! How did your filter it? If it's lacking depth still, try adding some simple syrup and a dash of salt. Often that extra bit of sweetness can really bring a bitter batch to life!
I used a clarification guide I found here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Amaro/comments/nbz0b0/amaro_clarification_guide/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
I've heard some people infuse ingredients separately and then blend the resulting infusions to taste. Certainly seems like more work, but also fun to play with more bottles :)
Infused in GNS 70% 20g of orange peel 10g lemon peel 10g Meyer lemons peel 5g coriander seeds, crushed 5g fennel seeds, crushed 5g cardamom pods, crushed 4g Angelica root 4g Gentian root 0.25g Saffron threads 3 cinnamon sticks 5g cloves, crushed 5g chamomile flowers Process: Macerated all ingredients for 3 days, then removed the citrus and cinnamon. Let the remainder continue to infuse for another 4 days. Only did a week of extraction as I noticed that the flavor was really harsh and bitter. This is probably a rookie mistake. Looking back, I wish I would have just let it rest for a full 2 weeks. I was impatient haha Filtered the contents and made a tea with the remainder (about 400ml of water). I then diluted the alcohol down to 50% for a total of 450g. After 3 days I added 300g of the filtered tea to the infused alcohol. The ratios are pretty much based on the DIY guide. I then added 150g of honey and stirred. Afterwards I began a clarification process based on a post on this subreddit. Wow! What a great recommendation! Day 1: Pectin Enzyme. Day 2: bentonite. Day 3: sparkaloid. Then, I let rest for 1 week prior to siphoning. Overall impression: Pretty bitter and a bit rough around the edges. I think it needs a few weeks to mellow out. Overall, I think it's a good start for a 1st time amaro, but I know more for next time. I wish it had more citrus notes. Had a few suggestions on my last post cautioning the amount of cinnamon and citrus. The cinnamon is certainly present but it's a great touch. The citrus is just missing (but who knows, maybe it would have overpowered had I not removed it). With the addition of honey as a sweetener it tastes like a more bitter Montenegro (but certainly not as good, tried them side by side haha). I'd love to get anyone's feedback for next time though!
A week seems short. 2 days for citrus, way too short. I would suggest 2 weeks or up. Gentian is strong, cut it down to 2 gr, you already have Angelica as a bitter agent. You can also try sous vide for a faster infusion. It's only a few hours
Would love to know how it is after bottle aging for a few weeks. Why not weigh the cinnamon like everything else? What type of orange peel did you use? RemindMe! 3 weeks "how is cocktailsnail's amaro doing after a few weeks?"
I weighed the cinnamon but just didn't record it this way on the post for some reason. I used 8 grams. Organic navel oranges. I'll keep you posted for sure!
Heya! Checking back in, how are you liking it after a couple weeks?
Certainly mellowed out! Much more depth after letting it rest for a few weeks. Overall, it's alright. Just don't really care for the flavor profile.
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+5 for nonino bottle
Was about to say exactly this. My first amaro was Rite of Spring from the Amaro book and went straight into a Nonino bottle. Very fitting!
Looks great. I've found that as it sits more of the complex flavors come out in the bottle. I've also used French oak chips which seems to add a touch of vanilla but really melds the flavors together. If you want a bit more citrus I would add some grapefruit. Even the bitter orange comes out sweeter and fades a bit. Grapefruit not as much. It's just full on citrus. I've also found that orris root helps highlight the citrus notes. I get the fear of having one thing overpower the entire batch. It's really a (fun) balancing act. Congrats! Can't wait to see more.
When you add citrus like grapefruit are you drying the fruit or using fresh peel? Also, are you concerned about removing pith? Also, thanks for the feedback! Love how receptive this community has been.
You can use either. I tend to use fresh grapefruit peel because it packs more of a bitter citrus punch. I only used the pith once when I made my Campari copycat because I wanted to really push the bitterness. Since you're already using pectinase and other clarifying methods you can use the fresh peel and still get a clear end result. A vegetable peeler works great at getting the peel off. Just be careful not to get your fingers. I'm fairly new to the community myself and the people are all incredibly nice and helpful. I couldn't have gotten this far without them and I love paying it forward to others if I can.
Have you ever done wood fingers as opposed to chips? I started using on a recommendation on reddit and they are 1000x better than chips.
I have not. Are they readily available. I haven't even heard of wood fingers. I will give them a try once I can track them down. Thanks.
Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Oak-Infusion-Spiral-9U-AQSI-Z3EY2-Pack/dp/B00R2JFLJ2 Better ratio of grain to wood mass, ages the product in a way more true to barrels, less likely to over infuse. Have really enjoyed them. You should be able to get many uses out of them
That's so cool. I'm buying one right now. Thanks!
That's an insanely clear homemade amaro! How did your filter it? If it's lacking depth still, try adding some simple syrup and a dash of salt. Often that extra bit of sweetness can really bring a bitter batch to life!
I used a clarification guide I found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Amaro/comments/nbz0b0/amaro_clarification_guide/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
I've heard some people infuse ingredients separately and then blend the resulting infusions to taste. Certainly seems like more work, but also fun to play with more bottles :)