How spirit essences work, and how to pick the right one

How spirit essences work, and how to pick the right one

The essence shelf is one of those parts of the shop where people stand for a long time looking slightly lost, and fair enough, because there are dozens of little 50ml bottles that all look the same and the labels assume you already know how this works. So here is the plain version.

One thing worth saying first

Owning a still is lawful in Australia, and so is selling one, which is why the gear is on shelves all over the country. Actually running one to distil spirits at home is not lawful unless you hold an excise manufacturer licence from the ATO, and that is worth knowing before you spend money rather than after.

Flavouring a spirit you have bought is a completely different activity and it needs no licence at all. That is what most of this range is built for, and it is where nearly everybody starts.

What an essence actually is

An essence is a concentrated flavouring. It does not make alcohol and it is not doing anything clever to the alcohol you put it in. What it does is take a neutral base, which is a clean spirit with very little character of its own, and give it the flavour profile of something else. Vodka in, whisky out, roughly speaking.

That is why the base matters as much as the essence. A rough or strongly flavoured base will still taste like itself underneath, and no essence is going to hide it.

The three sorts on the shelf, and they are not interchangeable

• Spirit essences. Whisky, bourbon, rum, gin, vodka, tequila, brandy. These go straight into a neutral base at strength and you get a spirit out the other end. This is the Top Shelf range and it is the biggest part of the shelf.
• Liqueur essences. Amaretto, coffee, hazelnut, coconut, creme de menthe. These want a liqueur base as well as the alcohol, because a liqueur is sweetened and often creamed, and the base is what does that. Read the back of the packet, because it names the exact base and the volume.
• Schnapps and cream essences. Same idea again with their own bases. Butterscotch, pear, banana, and the cream liqueurs.

The commonest mistake is buying a liqueur essence and no base, getting home, and finding out the instructions ask for something you have not got. The bases are cheap and they are on the same shelf, so it is worth reading the label before you get to the counter.

How to actually choose one

Start from what you drink. If you drink bourbon, start on a bourbon essence rather than something exotic, because you will be able to tell straight away whether you like the result and you will have something to compare it against. If you drink very little spirits and you are doing this for the interest, the liqueurs are more forgiving, because sugar and cream cover a multitude of sins.

The other thing worth knowing is that they are cheap enough to treat as an experiment. A 50ml essence is not a big spend, and buying two and comparing them teaches you more than reading about it.

Getting a decent result out of it

1. Follow the volume on the packet. These are worked out for a specific quantity of alcohol at a specific strength, and eyeballing it is how you end up with something too strong to drink or too weak to taste.
2. Shake it properly before you use it. The flavour compounds settle in the bottle.
3. Give it time. Most of them improve over a week or two rather than being at their best the night you make them.
4. Write down what you did. The batch you like is worth being able to repeat.

Shop related products

• Still Spirits Smokey Whiskey 50ML. Bold smoky character, and a good first whisky essence to try.
• Still Spirits Vodka Essence 50ML. The clean one, and useful for working out what your base tastes like.
• Still Spirits Premium Classic Gin Essence. Juniper forward with a bit of coriander behind it.
• Still Spirits Cafelua 50ML. Coffee liqueur in the Kahlua style, and it wants a liqueur base with it.
• Edwards Essences Ginger Kisses and Cream. Cream liqueur, and about as easy as this gets to get right.

There is a lot more in the homebrew range and the Edwards Essences range online. A fair slice of what we stock is not on the website, because it comes in the supplier's own branding, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what is on the shelf if you are after something particular. Brewhilder, our homebrew helper, will talk you through a batch if you would rather work it out at home first.

Read next

• Top five common homebrewing mistakes and how to fix them
• Why every homebrewer needs a decent fermenter
• Brewing beer with liquid malt extract

Nobody gets the first batch right, and anybody who says they did was not paying attention.

Candeece

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