Am I the only one who, as a little girl, loved the smell of vanilla so much that she just had to take a little taste – and then she gagged? Surely I’m not the only one. I remember the moment clearly. It was oh-so disappointing. The taste of vanilla extract was nothing like the smell. Bleh.
So now here we are, a few decades and a few gallons of Homemade Vanilla Extract later. I know now what I didn’t know as a little girl: vanilla extract is made with alcohol. Well, no wonder.
Still, one would think that after 4-6 months of sitting in vodka, the all-amazing vanilla beans would overpower the alcohol. Plus, how can something that tastes so terrible by itself be such a delicious flavoring in recipes?
My well thought out answer is, of course, this: I dunno.
All I know is that after you follow all the directions and make vanilla extract, you can take a little taste and think, “Oh no! I did something wrong. This tastes awful!” But you’ll be wrong. You did everything right and vanilla extract just smells good (in small whiffs) and tastes bad (by itself). See? Look.
It smells soooooo good.
But it tastes soooooo bad.
How about Cinnamon Extract?
Mmmm, smells good.
Wow. That tastes bad. And whoa – it also burns the tongue. I guess it is cinnamon, after all.
So what about Mint Extract?
Well, mine doesn’t even smell good at this point, so I didn’t dare taste it. In its defense, I only started it last week. Therefore, it still smells strongly of vodka. It’ll get better in a few weeks.
Now, if you take a deep, long whiff of your homemade extracts, the smell of alcohol will overpower the vanilla bean/cinnamon stick/mint. So waft gently, my friends, waft gently.
All these words and ridiculous selfies to say this: If your extracts smell strong (but good) and taste terrible, you have done a fine job. Well done. You’ve made delicious extracts.
What extracts do you have in the works right now? How do they smell? Good? Strong? Nasty? Do feel free to send me a extract sniffing or tasting selfie.
I have vanilla extract ready to use, and lemon extract that is way overdue for a straining. I haven’t even sniffed the lemon yet, but it should be more than ready to use by now. It’s been a LONG time!
I’m excited to try lemon extract!
I received a tip from the local liquor store owner when I was buying vodka for extracts. He said the last month or so uncap it and cover with a thin cloth. Then the vodka will evaporate and you get a more intense extract that doesn’t smell like alcohol. I have been doing that with the last several batches and it works wonderfully. With some brands of vanilla pods or some brands of vodka it takes longer than a month, but it does work.
So glad to know this tip!
Are you still doing this technique? Or did it not work . What about adding a bit of sugar? I have started my first batches 6 months ago. I will wait the 12-18 months, I’m patient… but whew they still have that boozy smell! :/
My vanilla extract is two years old this month do why does it taste like alcohol and not vanilla. I bought good pods can anyone give me an answer I have six jars hoping to eventually give some to friends but a few teaspoons of this and I will not be able to walk a straight line.
Me too and it’s been years for me. I started mine is 2021. Still smells like only vodka sooo now idk what to do.
I started my extract in 2021 also and it will knock you over with the vodka. I read the comment from Teresa (above) and just finished putting a coffee filter over the jars with just the rings to secure. She says it will evaporate some alcohol .
Ok, so I don’t have any extracts in the works. Boohoo! But I do have a totally unrelated question, except for the fact that your selfies inspired me to ask :) May I ask where you found your tank? ie. what brand is it? I love how it’s very unrevealing in both the neckline and underarm areas, yet great for summer, and very cute with the rouching(sp?) in the front! :) Of course, being on the east coast, I’m hoping that maybe you got it online or such that I might hope to find it out this way ! Thanks!
For the life of me, I can’t remember where I got it. I looked and looked online just now, and I’m coming up short. It is Energy Zone Performance brand, a yoga tank. I also really like the fit, so it would be great to find more! If I ever come across them again, I’ll let you know!
Oh yes, the disappointment I got when I tasted vanilla many years ago. How could anything that smelled so good taste so bad. HAHAHA!!!
It’s amazing isn’t it?! :)
Thank you! I printed this out for my teen who always says, “Mom this doesn’t even smell like vanilla. It just smells like straight vodka!” (OK, h ow does she know what straight vodka smells like??) But I may try Teresa’s tip above.
Bahahahahahaha! :-)
This post cracked me up because….my toddlers LOVE the taste of vanilla extract, straight up. I read that you can rub it on their gums when they’re teething because the alcohol provides some numbing. Now, I have to hide the bottle or they beg me for it all the time – my one-year old comes up and says, “Teeth! Teeth!”
So, there you go!
P.S. It was Stacy (@ Stacy Makes Cents) where I read about the teething thing – just saw that she commented right before me.
Thank you so much for this post!! I was convinced I’d done something terribly wrong! Your funny really made me feel better:)
Thank you for the information. I’m making my first vanilla extract for myself and my mom, so I want to get it right. But none of the guides say what the end product is supposed to be like.. It doesn’t help my confidence that all of the guides vary so wildly on every single point – bean grade, alcohol type, amount of beans, steeping duration.. xD At least now I know what it SHOULD be like at the end.
Glad it was helpful, Erin. You can do it!
-Bethany (Laura’s assistant)
I made 2 different batches of vanilla extract. 1 with vodka, and 1 with bourbon. (The old school traditional way) I was taught that it has to mature for at LEAST 18 mos. Some of mine is now just over 2 years old. It smells like alcohol but WOW it works good in recipes. I use 1/2 what the recipe calls for and get a powerful result. I suppose the takeaway is that you have to be patient with the process and wait for it to mature. I make mine in pint jars and let them develop. Good luck.
My vanilla extract smells like Pooh and alcohol. It has been setting since 1/17/22. What did I do wrong??
Still no answer to my question, how can my extracts taste so bad and still taste good in my cakes
I have been soaking 50 vanilla pods in a fifth of vodka since last November. It still smells quite strong. Did I use too many pods? Also, they were rather expensive, so can I use them again? Finally, where did you get the glass bottle? I’m searching for cute ones for my gifts of vanilla?
Sorry I left out how can I rectify the strong bitter alcohol taste
Alone, the vanilla will have a strong alcohol taste, but in recipes, it does its job perfectly!