How far a 50ml spirit essence goes, and how to split a batch
How much spirit does one 50ml bottle actually flavour
This is the question we get asked at the counter more than any other one about essences, and it's a fair question, because a 50ml bottle looks like nothing at all when you're standing there holding it next to a 5 litre flagon. The short answer is that most spirit flavourings, including Still Spirits Aussie Gold Rum, are measured for 2.25 litres of neutral spirit at around 40%, and 2.25 litres is three 750ml bottles.
The arithmetic, written out so you can do it standing in the aisle
One bottle of essence goes into 2.25 litres of spirit, so you're getting three full bottles out of it. If you want to work in millilitres because your measuring jug does, that's 50ml of essence into 2250ml of neutral, which comes out at a shade over 2% by volume. That ratio is the thing to hang onto, because once you know it you can scale it in either direction without guessing.
Splitting a batch across two flavours
Here's where the ratio earns its keep. If you've got 2.25 litres of clean neutral sitting there and you can't decide between two flavours, you don't have to decide at all. Halve the spirit into two lots of about 1.1 litres, then put half a bottle of one essence into the first and half a bottle of another into the second, and you've made two different spirits out of one batch with nothing wasted. Half a 50ml bottle is 25ml, and a cheap syringe measures that far better than a cap does.
Going the other way, for a small trial
If you're trying a flavour you have never had before, don't commit the whole batch to it. Measure out 700ml of neutral, which is about one bottle, and add 15ml of essence, and you'll have a true sample of what the full batch is going to taste like for a third of the outlay. Write the numbers down while you do it, because you won't remember them in a fortnight, and a note costs you nothing.
Where the law actually sits
Worth saying plainly, because it gets muddled constantly. Owning a still is legal in Australia and we're allowed to sell you one. Distilling spirits at home is the part that needs an excise manufacturer licence from the ATO. That's a real licence with real conditions attached, not a formality anybody gets to skip. Flavouring a base spirit you have bought is a different activity altogether and needs no licence at all, so that's the road most people end up taking.
What changes the answer
Two things move the ratio, and neither is complicated. A spirit mixed weaker than 40% will taste more strongly flavoured for the same dose, because there's less alcohol carrying the flavour, and some of the liqueur style flavourings are built for a smaller volume than 2.25 litres. The bottle always tells you which, so read the back of it rather than assuming every 50ml bottle in the range behaves the same way.
Shop related products
- Still Spirits Aussie Gold Rum Spirit Flavouring 50ml. An Australian style golden rum profile for a clean neutral.
- Still Spirits Top Shelf Jamaican Dark Rum Essence 50ml. The dark, molasses heavy end of the rum range.
- Still Spirits Jamaican Gold Essence 50ml. A lighter gold rum that mixes better than it sips.
- Still Spirits Spiced Rum Essence 50ml. Spiced rum in a bottle, and a good one to split a batch with.
Did you know we also keep PET bottle cartons, PET bottle caps, plastic seal packs and a standard glass thermometer in the shop. Not all of it makes it onto the website, so ring us on (08) 8536 4333 and we'll tell you what's on the shelf.
The rest of the range is in our homebrew collection.
Our homebrew adviser Brewhilder will talk you through your own setup if you would rather work it out that way.
Read next
- Still Spirits English Dry Gin essence, how to use it
- Still Spirits Cherry Bourbon essence, how to use it
- Still Spirits whisky profiles, what they do and the law
My own measuring is done with a syringe these days, purely because my eye for a half capful isn't to be trusted by anyone, including me.
Cheers,
Candeece
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