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Makers Make Stuff endeavors to teach people how fun, easy and healthy it is to make stuff yourself. Don't be a slave to pre-packaged and chemically ridden products from the grocery store. It's a lot easier than you might think to make these things yourself and we guarantee you will have fun doing it.

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Imagine the smell of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven and your favorite pie cooling on the counter. Now, imagine the aroma of these desserts when you use homemade vanilla extract. Making homemade vanilla extract is a great gift idea for any time of the year. Gift your homemade vanilla to your favorite baker in... Read More The post How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract that Brings Your Baking to the Next Level appeared first on Makers Make Stuff - The DIY...

Imagine the smell of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven and your favorite pie cooling on the counter. Now, imagine the aroma of these desserts when you use homemade vanilla extract. Making homemade vanilla extract is a great gift idea for any time of the year. Gift your homemade vanilla to your favorite baker in your life.

Homemade vanilla extract elevates your baked goods to an entirely new level of delicious. Proudly serve more desserts and baked goods with your very own homemade vanilla extract.

What is Vanilla Extract: 

Extracts are made by mixing ingredients like vanilla beans with alcohol then allowing it to steep for several months. The alcohol pulls (or extracts) the flavor out of the vanilla beans. The resulting mixture is an intensely flavored extract that adds depth to your favorite foods.

The best part of making vanilla extract is that you can get different flavor profiles in your vanilla depending on the type of vanilla beans you use. The kind of alcohol you use also impacts the flavor of your vanilla extract.

Vanilla extract is a flavoring made by combining vanilla beans with alcohol and steeping it in a glass jar for 2-3 months.

Different Types of Vanilla Beans for Homemade Vanilla Extract: 

Did you know that there are many different types of vanilla beans? There are many varieties of vanilla that have different flavor profiles. I work with three main varieties of vanilla beans.

Madagascar Vanilla: 

These vanilla beans have a strong aroma and flavor. Madagascar vanilla beans add sweetness to your vanilla extract. Madagascar vanilla used in baked goods compliments and supports the other flavors in your batter rather than dominating the dish.

Mexican Vanilla: 

Mexican vanilla beans are more robust in flavor. They have a bold hint of smokiness that comes through in your desserts. Mexican vanilla extract is a strong flavor that dominates your batter. Mexican vanilla is amazing in cookie recipes.

Tahitian Vanilla:

Tahitian vanilla has a floral aspect to it. The floral aroma and flavor come through beautifully in homemade candies and chocolates.

I tend to make all three varieties and keep them in my pantry since I bake all kinds of desserts and candies. In my house, there is no such thing as too much vanilla.

Different Types of Alcohol used in Vanilla Extract: 

There are two main types of alcohols used in making homemade vanilla extract. 

Vodka: 

Vodka offers a more neutral base for your vanilla extract. When using vodka, the subtle notes in your vanilla beans are more pronounced. The neutral flavor of the vodka does not overpower the vanilla beans. I prefer making Tahitian vanilla extract using vodka so that the alcohol doesn’t overwhelm the floral notes in the vanilla.

Bourbon:  

Bourbon is not a neutral-flavored alcohol. The bourbon adds a smoky, sometimes burnt caramel flavor to your vanilla extract. I love making Mexican or Madagascar vanilla using bourbon, especially if I am making cookies. The bourbon complements the boldness of both Madagascar and Mexican vanilla beans.

Play around with your vanilla extract by trying other types of alcohol.

How to Make Vanilla Extract: 

My ratio for making homemade vanilla extract is five vanilla beans for every 8oz of alcohol. If you’re vanilla to give away, 8oz of vanilla extract is a perfect size bottle.

Gather your ingredients: 

• Vanilla Beans: Madagascar vanilla, Mexican vanilla, or Tahitian Vanilla
• 8oz of Vodka or Bourbon
• Glass jars.
• Gift tags or labels. 

Directions: 

1. Split your vanilla beans down the center to expose the seeds and pulp inside. 
2. Place your vanilla beans in your glass jar. 
3. Cover your vanilla beans with either bourbon or vodka. 
4. Close the jar and shake gently to combine the ingredients. 
5. Set your jars aside in a cool, dark place for two months*.
6. Check your jars every couple of days and give them a gentle swirl. 

*If you can wait even longer than two months, the flavor will be more intense.

The two months give the extract enough time for the vanilla beans to release all of its flavors. When your extract is finished, you can leave your vanilla beans in the jars. You can also filter the vanilla out. It’s entirely up to you. I love the look of the jars with the vanilla beans still inside.

Recipes Using Vanilla Extract: 

• Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
• New York Style Cheesecake
• Holiday Pies
• Homemade Yogurt
• Vanilla Old Fashioned cocktails
• Vanilla Martinis
• Craft Coffee Drinks
• Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
• Vanilla Bourbon Pumpkin Pie
• Homemade Vanilla Sugar
• Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
• Homemade Vanilla Salt
• Vanilla Compound Butter

What are your favorite ways to use vanilla extract? 

The post How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract that Brings Your Baking to the Next Level appeared first on Makers Make Stuff - The DIY Blog.

Want to try your hand at living the rustic life? Well, there’s no better time than the present. Minimalism, eco-living, and the vintage aesthetic are all extremely popular these days, and making homemade paper fits into all three of those categories. Learning to make paper from natural plant materials will not only help you connect... Read More The post Making Homemade Paper from Plants appeared first on Makers Make Stuff - The DIY...

Want to try your hand at living the rustic life? Well, there’s no better time than the present. Minimalism, eco-living, and the vintage aesthetic are all extremely popular these days, and making homemade paper fits into all three of those categories.

Learning to make paper from natural plant materials will not only help you connect with the land, it will allow you to use up material that you otherwise would have let go to waste.

Once you learn how to make homemade paper, you won’t be able to stop. You can make your own envelopes and personalized stationary, notebooks, planners, scrapbooks, and so much more. Plus, with fun additional materials, paper making can be an endlessly unique and exciting experience.

Paper Making Tools

Paper making is a unique art form that requires specific tools. Most importantly, you’ll need a paper maker’s mold and deckle. This is basically just a picture frame with a screen in it. You can make your own mold and deckle at home, however, a good-quality, inexpensive one can be found online.

Arnold Grummer’s Paper Making Dip Handmold

If you’re a beginner at paper making, this wooden handmold is perfect for you. It comes with a paper making guide and dried flower petals that you can use when crafting.

How to Make Homemade Paper with Plant Materials

The most important part of making homemade paper is the pulp. To make paper from plants, you’ll need to make pulp out of natural plant materials. The kind of materials you use can be just about anything you find from dead leaves to pieces of grass.

Materials:

• A paper maker’s mold and deckle
• Plant materials
• Water
• A blender
• A tub or bin larger and deeper than your deckle
• Wooden or plastic board
• A rolling pin
• Dish rag or ShamWow-type towel

Step 1 – Collect your plant material. The color of the materials will affect the color of the paper. So, dead brown plants make darker paper than fresh plants. Make sure to wash the plant material before going on to the next step. 

Step 2 – Soak the plant material. In a pot of boiling water, let the plant material decompose and become mushy. This can take several hours. 

Step 3 – Blend the plant materials and water in a blender or food processor until it has a consistent watery texture. 

Step 4 – Transfer the plant pulp to a large tub or bin along with another 5+ cups of water. You should be able to dip the deckle into the tub and completely submerge it in water. 

Step 5 – You guessed it – submerge the deckle into the water and pulp mixture, and allow the pulp to get trapped onto the deckle’s screen. Once enough pulp has covered the screen, slowly pull out the deckle. 

Step 6 – Using a towel, dry the pulp that is on the deckle screen. Do this slowly, or else the towel can pull off the pulp. Then, carefully pull the thin layer of pulp off of the screen and set it onto a flat board. 

Step 7 – Flatten the paper. Cover the paper with a towel and, using a rolling pin, flatten it out until it’s the thickness you want. 

 Step 8 – Let your paper dry on a flat surface. 

The plant materials you choose to make won’t only affect the color of your paper, but will also affect the texture and thickness of your paper. Experiment with different materials until you find the one that suits you the best.

Homemade Paper Customizations

To give your homemade paper some more personality, try adding in extra ingredients.

• Pressed flowers or petals – Placing these in your paper pulp in step 4 will give your finished paper a delicate, etsy-worthy look.
• Perfume – To give your paper a unique scent, try adding a few drops of perfume to the pulp in step 4.
• Essential oils – These can also help personalize your paper. Using an essential oil can even lead to your paper having minor health benefits.
• Colored paper – You can add some concentrated color to your homemade paper by mixing in some colored paper to your pulp in step 3. 
• Gold foil – Who wouldn’t love paper covered in shiny gold bits? Add some gold foil to your pulp in step 4. 
• Pine needles – These can help give your homemade paper an interesting texture. It may also lead to it being pine-scented. Add them to your pulp in step 4. 
• Glitter – Glittery paper makes for great party invitations and notes to friends. Add some to the pulp in step 4. 
• String and thread – Cut some colorful threat into small pieces to make your homemade paper look like it’s covered in confetti! Add the pieces to the pulp in step 4. 

Getting creative doesn’t have to make you stressed. Making your own paper out of plant materials is the perfect way to relax, rewind, and turn something most people consider to be useless into something beautiful.

The post Making Homemade Paper from Plants appeared first on Makers Make Stuff - The DIY Blog.

Making your own paper is a fun way to be creative and crafty, but it’s also an effective way to use up materials that you’d otherwise probably ignore or throw away. Homemade paper can be made with pulp made from old paper that has no use.   Once you’ve mastered the art of making your... Read More The post How to Make Homemade Paper appeared first on Makers Make Stuff - The DIY...

Making your own paper is a fun way to be creative and crafty, but it’s also an effective way to use up materials that you’d otherwise probably ignore or throw away. Homemade paper can be made with pulp made from old paper that has no use.  

Once you’ve mastered the art of making your own paper at home, you won’t be able to stop. Handmade notebooks and stationary plus countless art projects can all be yours! And, added materials add unique designs to your paper, keeping the process endlessly exciting.

Paper made at home isn’t going to be like the kind you buy at the office supplies store. It’s going to be thicker and more textured. However, with the right kinds of pens, markers, and paints, you will be able to mark up your homemade paper in whatever way you want.

Paper Making Tools

To make paper, you need to create a pulp out of old paper materials, but there are a few more things you’ll need before you can get started. 

Most importantly, you need a paper maker’s mold and deckle. A deckle is a frame with a screen. You put the paper pulp on the screen and press it down to flatten it and remove the excess liquid. This tool is crucial for making paper, and luckily, there are a few deckle options online that won’t break the bank. 

Arnold Grummer’s Paper Making Dip Handmold

This wooden handmold is perfect for beginner paper makers. It comes with an illustrated guide to paper making, as well as dried flowers that you can use to add some color to your homemade paper projects. Plus, it’s affordable. 

You can also make a simple deckle at home using a picture frame and a screen. 

How to Make Homemade Paper with Recycled Paper

You may be thinking something along the lines of “Wait a minute, you need paper to make paper?” Well in this case, the answer is yes. Old receipts, homework, newspapers, paper bags, parking tickets, etc. can be put to use by making your own paper. 

Making paper in this way is perfect for minimizing your carbon footprint and cleaning out your storage bins.

Materials:

• A paper maker’s mold and deckle
• Scrap paper
• Water
• A blender
• A tub or bin larger and deeper than your deckle
• A wooden or plastic board
• A rolling pin
• A dish rag or chamois-type towel

Step 1 – Cut or tear your scrap paper into small bits. They should be no bigger than ½-1” in size. You’ll need about 2 handfuls of scrap paper bits to make 1 sheet of homemade paper. 

Step 2 – Soak the paper bits in water to begin creating your paper pulp. If you’d like to create colored paper, you can add in a few drops of food coloring. You can even soak the paper in fruit juice to color it naturally. The paper will have to soak for at least an hour, or until completely soaked through and soft. 

Step 3 – Blend the paper in a blender or food processor until the paper has a consistent watery texture. This shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds. 

Step 4 – Transfer the paper pulp to a large tub or bin along with another 5+ cups of water. You should be able to dip the deckle into the tub and completely submerge it in water. 

Step 5 – You guessed it – submerge the deckle into the water and pulp mixture, and allow the paper pulp to get trapped onto the deckle’s screen. Once enough pulp has covered the screen, slowly pull out the deckle. 

Step 6 – Using a towel, dry the pulp that is on the deckle screen. Do this slowly, or else the towel can pull off the pulp. Then, carefully pull the thin layer of pulp off of the screen and set it onto a flat board. 

Step 7 – Flatten the paper. Cover the paper with a towel and, using a rolling pin, flatten it out until it’s the thickness you want. 

 Step 8 – Let your paper dry on a flat surface. 

Homemade paper often comes out looking slightly grey in color. This is because the paper used for the pulp had black ink on it. When the paper soaks in water, the blank ink runs, turning the paper grey. 

If you want your homemade paper to be white, wash the pulp with dish soap and/or bleach. 

Homemade Paper Customizations

Want your paper to stand out? Well, there are more than a few ways to achieve this. 

• Pressed flowers or petals – Placing these in your paper pulp in step 4 will give your finished paper a delicate, etsy-worthy look.
• Perfume – To give your paper a unique scent, try adding a few drops of perfume to the pulp in step 4.
• Essential oils – These can also help personalize your paper. Using an essential oil can even lead to your paper having minor health benefits.
• Colored paper – You can add some concentrated color to your homemade paper by mixing in some colored paper to your pulp in step 2. 
• Gold foil – Who wouldn’t love paper covered in shiny gold bits? Add some gold foil to your pulp in step 4. 
• Pine needles – These can help give your homemade paper an interesting texture. It may also lead to it being pine-scented. Add them to your pulp in step 4. 
• Glitter – Glittery paper makes for great party invitations and notes to friends. Add some to the pulp in step 4. 
• String and thread– Cut some colorful threat into small pieces to make your homemade paper look like it’s covered in confetti! Add the pieces to the pulp in step 4. 

Making your own paper using old, useless paper from around the house is a great way to pass the time. It’s an easy project that anyone can do, and it leads to amazing results.

The post How to Make Homemade Paper appeared first on Makers Make Stuff - The DIY Blog.

Making your own homemade clay might seem like a huge, time-intensive project that you have to put aside a whole day for. In reality, most ways of making clay are surprisingly quick and most likely only require ingredients that you already have in your house.  Clay is often a necessary tool for artists and students,... Read More The post How to Make Homemade Clay appeared first on Makers Make Stuff - The DIY...

Making your own homemade clay might seem like a huge, time-intensive project that you have to put aside a whole day for. In reality, most ways of making clay are surprisingly quick and most likely only require ingredients that you already have in your house. 

Clay is often a necessary tool for artists and students, and can be a huge source of fun for kids. So many things can be made with clay, from beads to pots to school projects – playing with clay is also an effective stress reliever! But if you’ve ever gone to an art supplies store, you know that clay is expensive. 

Most of the following clays are made completely with common cooking ingredients, meaning that they’re 100% edible. While you won’t want to eat the clay as if it were actual food, this clay is completely safe for kids who get a little too curious. 

Working with Clay

It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional artist, or just like messing around with art supplies, you have the potential to make something great. If you want to try your hand in clay modeling, you’re going to need clay modeling tools. Fingers can only do so much. 

Fashion Road Clay Sculpting Tools

These wooden tools are perfect whether you’re a beginner sculptor, or advanced. If you want to write words, hollow out your clay, or add details to your work, having real clay working tools is important. Luckily, these tools are no more than $10 a set.

There are even clay working tools for kids!

Outus Clay Sculpting Tools for Kids

Regular clay tools are sharp, and can be extremely dangerous for kids to use. But, if you know a young artist who wants to explore the world of clay sculpture, these might be the perfect tools for them.

Homemade Clay Recipes

Clay makes for great kid-friendly activities and simple DIY projects. You can make figurines, decorations, Christmas tree ornaments, and more. You don’t need much to have homemade clay at your disposal. A few common household ingredients can go a long way when used in the right recipe. 

Air Dry Clay with Salt or Baking Soda, Cornstarch, and Water

To make this clay, you will need:

• 2 cups salt or baking soda
• 1½ cups water
• 1 cup cornstarch
• Food coloring (optional)

Step 1 – In a saucepan over medium heat, combine ⅔ cups of water with either 2 cups of salt or 2 cups of baking soda. Either one will work, but it’s up to you to decide which ingredient you have more of to spare. 

Step 2 – Add in the cornstarch and stir constantly. The clay will start forming at this point. Keep stirring so it doesn’t stick to the pan. When it starts turning doughy, take the clay out of the saucepan and put it onto a piece of wax or parchment paper. Remember not to touch it yet, or you’ll get burned!

Step 3 – Once the clay is cool, you can start forming it into shapes. You can also dye the clay by using a few drops of food coloring and kneading it into the clay until evenly distributed. 

The speed at which your clay air dries depends on how thick your clay piece is. Thinner pieces will dry faster, while thicker ones may take quite a while. On average, this clay will air dry if you let it sit overnight. If the clay is still not firm enough, let it sit out for a full day or two. If you want to speed up the process, you can put this clay in the oven for just a few minutes (5-10) or until your clay is hardened. 

Air Dry Clay with Flour, Oil, Salt, and Cream of Tartar

This clay’s texture is a bit smoother than the clay above. It is similar in consistency to playdough.

To make this clay, you will need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup salt
• 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Food coloring (optional)

Step 1 – Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and stir until combined. Then transfer this to a saucepan. Begin stirring constantly over medium heat. 

Step 2 – Once the mixture is starting to take on a dough-like consistency, take it out of the pot and put it on a piece of wax or parchment paper to cool. The clay will still be hot at this point, so make sure not to touch it with your bare hands. 

Step 3 – After the clay has cooled for only a few minutes, begin kneading it with your hands until you form a cohesive ball. If you want to color your clay, put in a few drops of food coloring and knead until the color is evenly distributed. 

This clay will harden if left out for about 2 days, but can take more or less time depending on how thick or thin your clay piece is. 

Tips for Baking Your Homemade Clay

If you choose to put your homemade clay in the oven instead of letting it air dry, note that clay can explode when exposed to high temperatures. Clay can also melt in the oven if it’s in there too long. 

I recommend setting your oven to 275°F. Then, put your clay piece on a pan and bake for 10-15 minutes at a time. It’s better to make the baking process slow than to ruin your hard work. It usually takes about 15 minutes per ¼ inch of clay. 

If your clay is very thick (over 2 inches thick), try hollowing your piece out using a ribbon tool. This is the clay tool that has a metal loop on the top that lets you easily remove excess clay from the inside of large clay sculptures. 

Now that you know a few more things about making homemade clay, do some experiments with making your own and have fun! There are countless things you can do with clay, and you won’t have to worry about money loss if you make a few mistakes along the way.

The post How to Make Homemade Clay appeared first on Makers Make Stuff - The DIY Blog.

Hard boiled eggs are a versatile food that comes in handy for a variety of recipes. Making perfect hard boiled eggs every time is challenging unless you know all the tips and tricks. One of the most frustrating things about making hard-boiled eggs at home is peeling them. After you cook and cool your eggs,... Read More The post How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Every Time appeared first on Makers Make Stuff - The DIY...

Hard boiled eggs are a versatile food that comes in handy for a variety of recipes. Making perfect hard boiled eggs every time is challenging unless you know all the tips and tricks.

One of the most frustrating things about making hard-boiled eggs at home is peeling them. After you cook and cool your eggs, you want that shell to come off easily, leaving a smooth egg white behind. When the eggshell peels off some of the egg whites, your deviled eggs come out looking rough!

Hard-boiled eggs by themselves may not be anyone’s favorite thing to eat (unless you’re bumping up your protein intake). But they are an excellent addition to appetizers, entrees, and even meatloaf (scotch eggs anyone?).

Instead of boiling extra eggs hoping for enough perfect hard boiled eggs for your recipe, let’s show you how you can get the perfect hard boiled eggs every time.

Old Eggs Vs. Fresh Eggs

The first trick to making perfect hard boiled eggs is the age of your eggs. While it used to be an old wives’ tale that older eggs peeled easier than fresh eggs, there seems to be some truth to the myth.

Older eggs tend to peel easier because of several factors. As the eggs in your fridge age, air slowly gets into the shells through tiny pores or holes. As that air gets into the shell, it creates space between the egg’s membrane and the shell. This air pocket helps the shell peel away from the cooked egg more easily.

Food scientists also believe that the pH of the eggs change as they age in your fridge. As the eggs become less acidic, their shells release from the cooked eggs without taking away any of the cooked egg white.

The bottom line is that if you know ahead of time that you are going to be serving peeled eggs, lets your eggs sit in the fridge for 7-10 days before you boil them. 

A Formula for Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

1. Start with an empty saucepan and add your uncooked eggs to the bottom of the saucepan. Be sure that your eggs are in one layer. You don’t want eggs on top of eggs. A single layer of eggs prevents your eggs from cracking as they bubble and shake during cooking. 
2. Fill your pan with enough cold water to cover your eggs with at least 1-inch of water. 
3. Set your pot on the stove and turn it on to high heat. You want to bring your eggs to a hard boil. Make sure you stay nearby. You don’t want the eggs at this hard boil stage for long. 
4. As soon as your eggs start to boil, turn off and remove the pan from the burner. 
5. Cover your saucepan and set a timer, letting the eggs sit in the hot water for 9-11 minutes. I tend to stop the timer at 9 minutes to ensure my eggs don’t overcook and develop a green sulfur ring around the yolk. 

For Ramen eggs or soft boiled eggs, let your eggs sit in hot water for only 5-6 minutes.

• Once your timer goes off, bring the pan of eggs and hot water to the sink and drain out as much hot water as possible. 
• Set the pan in the sink and allow cold water to run over your eggs in the pan to cool them down. If you don’t like the idea of running cold water for a long time, you can stick the eggs in an ice bath to stop the cooking process and cool them down. 
• Once cooled down, you can start the peeling process. 

How to Peel Boiled Eggs

Once cooked, you can let your eggs cool all the way down in the fridge, or you can start to peel them after cooling them in cold water or an ice bath.

1. To peel your eggs, start by tapping both ends of your egg gently on a hard surface. 
2. Tap the sides of the egg on a hard surface, or gently roll your egg on a hard surface to crack the sides of the egg. 
3. Find the end of the egg, which has an air bubble or air pocket. Once you find this air pocket, that’s where you should start peeling away at your eggshell. 

Rolling your egg on a countertop will create micro-cracks in the eggshell without disrupting the interior membrane. You should be able to peel away the shell in large chunks by getting your fingernail under that membrane.

While there is no 100% foolproof method for peeling eggs, this is the easiest method we have found to make beautiful recipes using hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel!

Recipes Using Hard Boiled Eggs

• Deviled eggs using homemade relish
• Egg potato Casserole
• Egg Salad
• Homemade Ramen with soft boiled ramen eggs
• Fried boiled eggs
• Hard Boiled Eggs and Avocado bowls
• Boiled Eggs as salad toppers
• Hard Boiled Egg stuffed biscuits
• Scotch Eggs
• Flatbread with herbs and sliced soft-cooked boiled eggs
• Soy marinated hard boiled eggs
• Pickled Red Beet Eggs
• Pickled Eggs Salad on toast points with herbs
• Cold Soba Noodles with boiled eggs

What are some of your favorite ways to eat hard boiled eggs?

The post How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Every Time appeared first on Makers Make Stuff - The DIY Blog.

Barrel-aged spirits taste better and smoother than the alcohols in their raw form. Learning how to barrel age your own spirits at home is a great way to get spirits such as whiskey, tequila, or rum that taste and smell exactly how you like them. Make custom cocktails at home using your very own barrel-aged... Read More The post How to Barrel Age Spirits at Home appeared first on Makers Make Stuff - The DIY...

Barrel-aged spirits taste better and smoother than the alcohols in their raw form. Learning how to barrel age your own spirits at home is a great way to get spirits such as whiskey, tequila, or rum that taste and smell exactly how you like them.

Make custom cocktails at home using your very own barrel-aged spirits. It’s easier than you might think. What are your favorite spirits to keep on hand?

What are Spirits? 

Most of your favorite cocktails come from the mixing of spirits with other flavors and ingredients (don’t forget the garnish, either!). There are six foundational spirits in most cocktails:

• Whiskey
• Brandy
• Gin
• Rum
• Tequila
• Vodka

These spirits have unique flavors and characteristics that make them perfect for pairing with various flavors and ingredients in cocktails. Most often, they are delicious by themselves, too.

When these spirits, or alcohols, first come off the distiller, they taste raw, harsh, and intense (think moonshine or cheap vodka). To smooth their flavors and intensity, distilleries age spirits in oak barrels over long periods. The aging process for alcohol and other spirits adds flavor, complexity, and smooths the spirit’s rough edges to make it more desirable to the consumer.

While it’s illegal in almost all states to distill your own spirits (without a license), you can buy raw alcohol and age it yourself in mini oak barrels for home aged spirits. You can age single spirits or blended spirits for a custom old fashioned or Manhattan at home. You can even age other ingredients in oak barrels for custom sauces, vinegar, and sweeteners.

Barrel Aging at Home: 

• Spirits
• Hot Sauces
• Soy Sauce
• Vinegar (apple cider vinegar, anyone?)
• Vanilla Extract
• Maple Syrup
• Custom Cocktails (Old Fashioned, anyone?)

Why Barrel Age Your Own Spirits at Home? 

The DIY bandwagon is a long one for a reason. There is a certain inexplicable sense of satisfaction that comes from making things yourself. Hobbies create a sense of pride and joy that boosts your self-confidence and gives you something engaging and fun to do when you’re not hustling at your 9-5er all week. Plus who doesn’t want delicious cocktails while trying to unwind?

Some people love to share their hobbies with others. And others keep their fun to themselves (Whiskey lasts longer when you don’t share it with your neighbors).

Share your hobby for barrel-aged spirits and cocktails with friends and family members at:

• Dinner parties
• Backyard BBQ’s
• Weddings
• Birthdays
• Sporting events
• And more!

Make your signature cocktail night even more enjoyable by making your signature mix with your very own barrel-aged spirit.

What does the Oak Barrel Do to Spirits? 

You can buy most alcohol either aged or unaged. Vodka is typically the only spirit that is unaged and keeps its crystal clear appearance. Correct me if I am wrong, but something about aged vodka sounds unappealing.

Distillers used oak barrels as a necessary way to ferment and store alcohol during long trips from the distiller to its final destination. The distillers discovered that the oak barrels often changed the spirits’ flavor and color and changed them in a good way! The oak barrels added a fruity sometimes vanilla flavor and a golden color to the spirits they were storing and moving.

Freshly distilled alcohol can have a strong, intense flavor that is difficult for many people to enjoy. The oak barrels calmed down the alcohol’s flavor intensity and added a smoothness to the final product. The oak barrels added a unique color and aroma to the spirits that people found pleasing. Thus, the oak-aged process was born!

Barrel-aged Vs. Unaged Spirits: 

How to Barrel Age Your own Spirits at Home: 

Barrel aging your spirits is quite simple. All you need are a few supplies and a quiet cool place to store your barrel.

For this example, we are going to be making barrel-aged whiskey from Moonshine. 

Supplies needed:

• 5 liter Oak Barrel, interior charred. This barrel comes with a stand, spigot, and bung (seal) 
• 1-2 Gallons of your favorite Moonshine. About 1 1/2 gallons of Moonshine will fit inside your barrel. 
• Time: Smaller barrels age whiskey more quickly. You’re looking at three weeks to three months to get the flavor and color you desire. Home aged spirits rarely take over a year. 

Directions: 

Prep the Barrel: 

It’s essential to prep your barrel before you pour your moonshine right in. Any new barrel or a barrel that hasn’t been used in a while will need to swell so that the liquid doesn’t leak from inside.

When you first get your new barrel in the mail, rinse it out. The inside of these barrels is charred to add flavor and color to your spirits. Pieces of charred wood and dust are likely inside your barrel. Rinse and swirl your barrel out with hot water.

Put in the spigot and fill your barrel with water. Seal the barrel with the bung or the seal on the top of the barrel.

Leave your barrel filled with water for 24-48 hours to allow the wood to swell and seal any gaps between in wood. Your barrel is sufficiently swelled when no water leaks from your barrel.

Rinse the Barrel Again: 

After you’ve prepped your barrel, fill it halfway with water and swirl the water around inside the barrel and then dump it out. This final rinse gets out any remaining pieces of charred wood and anything else that may have fallen into your barrel.

Fill Your Barrel:

Once prepped and ready, filled your barrel with your chosen spirit. A 5-liter barrel will fit just under 1 1/2 gallons.

When you are ready to age spirits, be prepared to lose some volume to evaporation. With smaller barrels, the aging process works more quickly, so you will lose less liquid to evaporation.

Distillers call the alcohol lost in evaporation, the “Angel’s Share.”

Tasting Your Aged-Whiskey:

Wait at least two to three weeks before you start taking samples to taste. Once you get your whiskey to your preferred taste and color, it’s time to strain and bottle your spirit. It is possible to “over-oak” your whiskey, so it’s crucial to start tasting your whiskey after the first couple of weeks.

Bottling Your Aged Whiskey: 

It’s impossible to tell how much of your whiskey you will lose to the angel’s share (evaporation), so be prepared to have less aged-whiskey than moonshine you started. If you started with 1 1/2 gallons, you’re likely looking at bottling a little bit under that.

We love these bottles for bottling and storing your home-aged spirits.

We Recommend that you fill your barrel right away with another spirit to age; otherwise, you have to start the swelling process over again when you are ready to age another spirit.

You can use an oak barrel 3-4 times before it loses its impact on flavoring your spirits. 

Additional Questions: 

How to serve barrel-aged whiskey? 

First, you should try your barrel-aged whiskey by itself. 

According to Wine Enthusiast, starting with a proper whiskey glass, you should:

1. Smell your whiskey
2. Observe the color of your whiskey
3. “Sip and Savor” by keeping a small amount of whiskey in your mouth for a moment and then taking another small sip.
4. Take note of the aftertaste after you swallow the whiskey. 
5. Add Ice: Ice will cool and slightly dilute the whiskey, giving you a chance to notice your whiskey’s more subtle flavors. 

Can you barrel age cocktails? 

Once you’ve aged your first batch of whiskey, bourbon, or tequila, it might be time to try a blend of a cocktail. Some popular barrel-aged cocktails include: 

• Old Fashioned
• Manhattan
• Negroni
• Boulevardier

What are your favorite cocktails using whiskey? 

The post How to Barrel Age Spirits at Home appeared first on Makers Make Stuff - The DIY Blog.

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