Still Spirits Hot Cinnamon Schnapps, what it does

A liqueur isn't the same job as a spirit essence

This is the bit that catches people out, so it goes first. A spirit essence goes into a neutral base and that's the whole process. A liqueur essence usually needs sweetening as well, because a liqueur is sweet by definition, and the pack will tell you what to add and in what order.

So read the bottle before you start rather than assuming it behaves like a whiskey essence. It doesn't, and finding that out halfway through is annoying.

What the cinnamon actually gives you

Hot cinnamon is the style that got popular as a shot, and the appeal is the heat as much as the flavour. It hits the back of your throat and it's meant to. That means it's a drink with a very clear audience, and if you're not in that audience you'll know within one glass.

It behaves well straight out of the freezer, and it does interesting things in a hot drink on a cold night, which is a use most people never try.

Getting the balance right

The two dials are the sweetness and the heat, and they pull against each other. Too little sugar and the cinnamon reads as harsh rather than warm. Too much and you have a syrup that hides the thing you made it for.

Work to the pack first and taste it before you start adjusting. If you do want to move it, move one dial at a time and give it a few days between goes, because the heat settles as it sits and a batch that seems fierce on the night often lands right by the weekend.

Nothing here involves a still

You're flavouring and sweetening a spirit you already have, which needs no licence. Distilling is separate, and running a still to make spirits at home needs an excise manufacturer licence from the ATO, which applies right across Australia rather than varying by state.

Shop related products

• Still Spirits Hot Cinnamon Schnapps. This is the bottle the post is about.
• Still Spirits Top Shelf Whiskey Essence 50ml. Use a whiskey base if you would rather the cinnamon sat on something with backbone.
• Still Spirits Pure Turbo Yeast. This is for anyone making their own base under licence.
• Z Carbon Universal 195g. Cleans up a base before you flavour it.

Did you know we also hold the liqueur essences and the spirit essences in the shop in ranges that never make it onto the website. Give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.

Where to go next

The homebrew range has the rest of them, and Brewhilder will talk you through what suits the spirit you are making.

Worth reading next: How to flavour a spirit at home with essences and How to infuse a bought spirit at home.

I'm reliably the person who says one more drop and then wonders why the whole batch tastes like a cinnamon doughnut.