How to Make an Herbal Flavour Extract for Bitters and Soda

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Making an extract from herbs and spices is a great way to create unique flavours for bitters and soda. Though essences capture the aroma compounds, extracts capture the flavour compounds that provide bitterness, astringency and spiciness which helps to rounds out drinks.
Using a percolator is the faster way to make an extract, taking 24 to 48 hours and creates a concentrate that can be diluted to make tinctures, elixirs, tonics and syrups.
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#science #extracts #bitters

[@NoahKainWhittington]

One last update! I was doing some research online and found that unlike other herbs and spices, vanilla sometimes requires recirculation of the solvent in order to extract everything. So, I bought more vanilla beans, dehydrated them, and ground them up with a coffee grinder. Then, I purchased a cheap food-grade peristaltic pump, allowed the vanilla beans to macerate in alcohol for a day, and set up the percolation to recirculate the solvent over a period of about 5 days. The continuous recirculation of alcohol through the vanilla beans produced the most aromatic extract I have ever had. It was like smelling a pile of vanillin but with more earthy tones. I just had to give everyone an update with this modified method.

[@vrtsgme]

Mate, followed you video to the letter. Oranges, dehydrated, blended to dust 100g. My orange gin is outstanding! Thank you so much. Done coffee, rhubarb and ginger so far. Bloody great. Thank you!

[@Artofdrink]

Awesome, love to hear when these videos get put into use and things turn out well. Cheers

[@StevetheBartender_]

How did the coffee extract go?

[@user-in8bz3kd7d]

​@@ArtofdrinkBrothers, have you ever made oxytocin? I am very curious about this. How is it extracted from ergot fungus? I really want to extract it myself. Can you teach me?

[@user-in8bz3kd7d]

​@@ArtofdrinkLove hormone is very mysterious. After searching in more than a dozen languages, no one on the entire Internet has prepared it, and there is no preparation method. The more it is not available, the greater my curiosity. Teacher, what do you think of love hormone? Do you want to make it? Impulsive?

[@NoahKainWhittington]

Okay, I'm shocked. I've made vanilla extract using the maceration method for years with less-than-optimal results. I dried my vanilla beans in a dehydrator, then powdered them using a coffee grinder and used this same exact percolation setup with the same method. The result was a far better vanilla extract within 24 hours than I could ever get in 6 months using maceration. It was so aromatic and perfect! I ran it through a second time and got even better results! It's the best vanilla extract I've ever made! Thank you for showing us the method!

[@mattmathai]

Can you explain what you mean by "ran it through a second time"? Thanks

[@NoahKainWhittington]

@@mattmathai What I meant was I repeated the process twice with the same extract. Once you complete the process once; take the same extract and run it through the process again. The more you run it through the more flavor you will extract from the vanilla beans. I started using a peristaltic pump to constantly recirculate the extract through the system for up to a week. I will point out there is no need to do this with other herbs and spices. Their oils dissolve really easily and repeating the process would just make extracts bitter. The recerulation process is only necessary in my opinion for vanilla beans.

[@mattmathai]

@@NoahKainWhittington Thank you. Did the second time through take longer because of the viscosity of the extract?

[@NoahKainWhittington]

@@mattmathai It did take a bit longer due to the viscocity but it wasn't bad enough to cause a problem. Even recirculating everything automatically with the pump for a week didn't cause any issues as long as I used the sand and cotton ball as a filter as demonstrated in the video. I do recommend finding or making some sort of food grade silicone stoppers for the opening of the percalator as well as for the spout that leads into the collection vessel if you plan to recerulate the extract through the vanilla beans for more than 2 days to avoid to much alcohol evaporation. My vanilla extraction setup consists of the percalation setup but modified with a peristaltic pump to recirculate constantly. I also fabricated some silicone stoppers designed to fit the system to avoid as much evaporation as possible.

[@mattmathai]

@@NoahKainWhittington Thank you

[@GreySectoid]

I have been thinking of doing something similar for my distilled spirits. These instructions are excellent just what I needed, thank you.

[@vitocattivo]

Drop funnel and stand from hbar just came in today. Pumped to get started!

[@MrKerryjmurphy]

Wow just found your channel! Currently studying herbalism with ACHS and this use me some very good ideas to make quick extractions and at the end, you also taught me how to make a quick tincture. Thank you so very much. I love it. I need to follow your channel for sure. If I’m correct, I can use this to make any type of herbal formula as well.

[@Artofdrink]

Welcome, and yes any herb/spice or combination will work, though caveats apply because some herbs (florals and roots) can be more challenging to work with. Roots and petals absorb a lot of solvent.

[@johnpeterson1270]

This is amaizing , Thank you for sharing this valuable skill

[@tamilang5138]

Riishi mushroom extraction uses a double extraction technique (alcohol maceration followed by boiling water infusion). I want to follow the way you do your extractions and am wondering if I’d still need to do the water infusion part afterwards. LOVE the videos!

[@Artofdrink]

Glad you enjoy the videos. You probably don't, but after you do the alcohol extract you can run some hot water through the percolator and use a portion that to dilute your alcohol extract. I'd let the water extract sit for a few days to see if there is any drop-out (resins, etc) and then just use the liquid portion. But, in old pharmacy manuals when they extracted mushrooms they just used alcohol and ground the mushrooms to a No.40 particle size.

[@zavas69]

The reason behind double extraction is that some compounds are water soluble and others are alcohol soluble... combining both brings the best medicinal potency. isn't this true (?) some enthusiasts even use ultrasonic "baths" to break down the cell wall (of chitin) when working with mushrooms and save up on boiling time :)

[@MartinDoudoroffLLC]

Cool tutorial, sir!

[@Artofdrink]

Thanks Martin

[@EthnobotanikFAQ]

Hey Darcy, I’m a chemist myself and I’m really enjoying your content. I was wondering how efficient percolation is, i.e., would a second run on that column be advisable? Have a great day!

[@Artofdrink]

Hello fellow chemist. According to the documentation from old pharmacy manuals (USP and National Formulary, plus some of the EU formularies), the percolation extraction is nearly 100% effective and was designed as such because pharmaceutical doses were supposed to be precise. There are a few caveats, for example, if you put 1000 mL of solvent through and only got 900 mL out, they'd pass an additional 200 mL through and then distill the 200 mL aliquot until it was 100 mL and combine that with the 900 mL. I've passed extra alcohol through to taste and at best it has a weak flavour at best, nothing like the first extract.

[@EthnobotanikFAQ]

@@Artofdrink Thank you for the elaborate answer. Much appreciated!

[@josefmicallef9079]

What do you think will be the ratio of using (for instance) fresh orange peel to orange peel extract?

[@Top12Boardsport]

Great information.

[@MrWnw]

Wow! Excellent quality of information! Thank you. Would you add some drops of this extract into fat or extract the flavour compounds into the fat directly somehow?

[@OceannAaronn]

Love the videos! Do you have any plan to touch on tonic/quinine at any point?

[@Artofdrink]

Not yet, but I just put it in my list of requested videos, so I'll work on it in the future.

[@Wild_Adventures_1]

What ratio would you add a extract like this to ethanol for bitters? You mentioned 1:9 for a tincture I assume it would be quite a bit more for bitters?

[@mattjanzen2344]

You said "I use 80% alcohol" and then diluted it "reasonably". What's the target ABV for use as a solvent in this case? What's the advantage/disadvantage of diluting vs leaving at full proof for this application? Typically for making bitters/etc isn't it better to use as high an ABV as possible?

[@Artofdrink]

For general purpose extraction the recommended range is 40% to 50% abv, and that's because with extraction you want to pull out some of the water soluble compounds (many alkaloids/bitter substances are soluble in water, like caffeine). With extraction you want both water and alcohol soluble compounds.

[@mattjanzen2344]

@@Artofdrink thanks for the replies! Your videos are very informative. I'll be purchasing your book (and acids) shortly.

[@Artofdrink]

@@mattjanzen2344 awesome, glad you find them useful and there will be lots more videos coming. Cheers

[@kathynguyen8848]

I just found your channel! The alcohol that you use is drinking alcohol?

[@royalecrafts6252]

out of the theme of the video, but how many drops of a saline solution (sodium chloride) in ml or % you say is good to add to a soft drink or cocktail per litter or per kg

[@KG-db1kg]

Hi, I am a complete novice, please excuse my ignorance, how much alcohol/ethanol remains in the extract/tincture? i.e the alcohol has passed through ground herbs, and then dripped into the collection container, this mixture now contains alcohol and extracted ground herbs (oil?), how much of that final mixture is alcohol? could that mixture be bottled entirely as a liqueur? or should it be added to more alcohol to create the liqueur?

[@ruthromer777]

Can a percolator be used to make essential oil extracts?

[@cesardekrmanjian5174]

Very intersting

[@sabrahardy]

I truly admire you. However, I have a question: I like essential oil's e.g., lavender. Citrus like orange, tea tree , oregano, & other flowers. Their flash point temperatures for herb & flower are very low like 90°F - to - 130°F. For example if I were soak these citrus skins or lavender plant(s) first separately inside a plant milk bag immersed in drinking liquor is this feasible? For Example -- a drinking liquor of about 40 or 60 proof. Raw material -- Not exposed soaking already filtered in a plant milk bag sitting in the liquor in the plant milk bag? Is that feasible?? Could I then transfer it to a temperature controlled water distiller boiling temperature very low. Would this work? Also, it is awesome using a mug warmer, To finish alcohol evaporation - oil processing very nice. I just want to avoid self-injury. I prefer distilling food grade Drinking alcohols because after distilling I could still drink it. Will my idea work?

[@rpbale]

Love your videos and I've fallen down the rabbit hole. How do you know when the percolation is truly complete. Gravity alone doesn't seem to signal the end. When I add a little handle vacuum to the flask a lot more comes through, but it makes me want to cut my hand off after a while. I'm thinking of ordering a quiet lab vacuum to. Last question, I plan to make a sage-cranberry soda. For making a sage extract, should fresh, or rubbed dry sage or just dry sage be used?

[@razgriz4977]

BRB, making a Kentucky Fried Soda with an extract of Col. Sanders 11 herbs and spices.

[@Artofdrink]

It can be done

[@crazymk6]

I noticed that you watered down your 80% alcohol solvent. I was thinking of just using everclear. Is there any reason I shouldn’t? And if I do dilute the alcohol, what % should I drop it to? Thanks!

[@Artofdrink]

Yes, you want your alcohol level to be about 60% abv. A high abv like Everclear over extracts non-water soluble compounds and those compounds will have a difficult time staying in your syrup, and those non-soluble oils will float to the top of the syrup or soda if bottled and create an oil ring. In the industry this is called "ringing" which shouldn't be a surprise.

[@TheDeciderGod]

I've followed your instructions and the final product are great, thank you very much good Sir. But I do have a question, it seemed that I get a loss of about 70% of the menstruum that I put in, for example if I do 100 ml of drug to 100 ml of menstruum, I would get 30 ml of extract. Is this normal? Or perhaps I am doing something wrong? Possibility 1: I did not wet the drug sufficiently? I did left it for 1 hour and make it sawdust wet. Possibility 2: the Percolator I am using is too shallow and not enough for gravity to do it's work (I am using a 500ml funnel with stopper, the mouth is 8.5 cm wide, total height is 24.2 cm [area to put the drug is 14.2 cm high and tube+stopper is 10 cm). Also, I read in another manual that we could pressed the drug to get all the extract out (I have not tried it) is this method correct? Sorry for a long question and thank you very much for all your videos!

[@inyourefacehaha]

I've made a few extracts now but they all seem to keep more alcohol trapped, I only got 50ml out of my 100grams of herbs or spices, I also moistened in advance and added some alcohol to the cotton ball. not sure what I'm doing wrong but they are great flavour wise!

[@Artofdrink]

You can add some water to the top of the percolator and it will push the alcohol down, but you just need to be present otherwise the water will get into your extract. Usually it is caused by really fine powders, I just did an extract with galangal where the powder was really fine. For 50 grams I used 60 mL of 50% abv alcohol and then after 48 hours I let it run out, and I only got 25 mL, so I added some water and watched carefully until I extracted 50 mL. Came out clear, so no water in it. Give that a try.

[@anhkhoanguyenhuynh5292]

Love your content so far, your guide on GRAS and EO was definitely eye-opening. Quick question tho, if I don’t have quartz sand (I’m not sure which one is safe to use, the url you had is out of stock). But without using quartz sand, is there an alternative (ex: multiple coffee filter) for replacing quartz sand?

[@Artofdrink]

Quartz sand is just beach sand. You should be able to get it at any pet supply store. Just wash it in water until the water runs clear and it will work. It is an inert material, so it will have no effect on taste or flavour.

[@paulrobertson9439]

Hi, do you think this makes a more or less potent extract than steam distillation to make an essential oil if for example using dried Lavender? thanks in advance :)

[@ThomasLeo]

How do you wash the sand? And can you re-use the sand after it's been used for extraction?

[@Artofdrink]

Just like rice, with lots of water until the water runs clean. You'll probably want to throw the sand out, it will pick up flavour oils.

[@lucag.lisickza425]

as an italian illy is a good coffee

[@aarenbailey3599]

Coming in again with another amateur question. I am currently unable to afford a dropping funnel for percolation extracts, but I have a Hario Switch coffee maker that works on a similar principle. Would there be specific cons to utilizing the more funnel-like shape of the coffee brewer that would make it pointless to try?

[@nadaarien]

there are actually a lot of tutorial on youtube that shows how to make a percolation cone at home from used glass bottles.

[@louismalphettes7721]

Does the size of the open top has a huge importance on the quality of extraction ? I'm in Europe and can only find cylindrical dropping funnels with a cap.

[@Artofdrink]

An open top is important because if you use a narrow top you will have difficulty getting stuff into it and it will be difficult to get the stuff out of it. Once herbs get wet they swell. Look into Eisco labs.

[@rahulphatak3506]

Hi! I am new to your channel. Thank you for this information! Have you ever used a moka pot to extract flavor? Ie instead of a stovetop espresso it’s a stove top way to extract a flavor? I’m guessing it would be like an extract

[@thehazelnutspread]

Please INCREASE the volume.

[@stoner1916]

Mr O'Neill. I love the content. I'd like to get the basic kit. Is that information on your patreon page? I think I'll struggle to get the oils in Ireland as cost effectively as you do. I'm struggling to find a Lemon EO that says you can use it in food. What I'm most happy about is that my brother and his wife studied chemistry in university. I've finally found a use for them

[@Artofdrink]

Thanks! Most essential oils will say something along the lines of "not for consumption," and that just means not to consume it at full strength. Properly diluted it is fine. Just look for a pure lemon oil. And once you tap into that chemistry knowledge you will start to see the world in a different way. I love chemistry.

[@marcostakashitanaka374]

Can I also use the percolator using fresh citrus peels? Or for these fresh peels would a longer meceration/infusion be more recommended?

[@chriscotsapas6967]

Could you also do this with steam distillation? I’m guessing you might extract a different subset of compounds?

[@Artofdrink]

If you did steam distillation of the herb/spice you’d be making an essence, that’s another video on the channel.

[@AntonJohansson-mu6oy]

Fantastic content! I was wondering, how would one do with raw material that is best used fresh since their flavour is susceptible to change during dehydration? I'm thinking of things like lilac or elderflower, both of which being very abundant here in Sweden. Once tried to use some dehydrated elderflower for cordial and it was just not as good as fresh or frozen.

[@Artofdrink]

The best option is to freeze the elderflowers, break them up and proceed as usual. The problem with flowers is they form fine powders and tend to form a paste with liquid, hop flowers do the same and it can be a bit tricky.

[@AntonJohansson-mu6oy]

@@Artofdrink Wow, thank you for the quick response! Just have to really take heed and not over-grind the ingredients so that paste doesn't form then. If one would go just a tiny bit coarser grind-wise I assume the maceration time could be increased appropriately?

[@Artofdrink]

@@AntonJohansson-mu6oy Yes, coarse is better for filtration but you need to increase extraction time and the best wy to figure that out is to take small samples and try them. Once the flavour tastes the same as the previous day it is fully extracted..

[@AntonJohansson-mu6oy]

@@Artofdrink Thank you so much for the invaluable advice and for the fantastic content. Looking forward to more videos!

[@vrtsgme]

Great videos, thank you. I’ve dehydrated Rhubarb, I want a rhubarb essence. Could I use this method to extract the flavour?

[@Artofdrink]

You can, but be cautious as the stalks contain a small amount of oxalic acid (not as much as the leaves) but this concentration method can be higher in the extract. Otherwise it is fine and was common in the 1800s.

[@vrtsgme]

@@Artofdrink Yea, Rhubarb crumble has never killed me yet :-). Then Ginger from you other video for Rhubarb and Ginger Gin! Your book "Fix the Pumps" landed today, thank you for the detailed insight. Really interesting.

[@tonygunther497]

Thanks for the amazing content! Bare in mind: I am completely new to the topic and was wondering how to get a flavorful non-alcoholic whiskey. Could do an extract from wood? Using grinded wood from whiskey barrels (possibly other botanicals) and then adding whiskey to it (similar to the gin extract from your non-alcoholics video) to get a whiskey version of that extract to then mix it into a flavorful non-alcoholic whiskey? Thank you!

[@Artofdrink]

That is a complex topic, and if it were easy there would be lots of non-alcoholic whiskies on the market. Overtime I will explore this but the key to whisky is the alcohol burn, and other compounds extracted with alcohol. Extracting wood with water pulls out different compounds.

[@TheCuckanor]

Thanks for the explanation! Its there a place to check what herbs could be used on an extract?

[@Artofdrink]

You can check out these two videos I did and they will help answer your question. Cheers kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4S9fXabmc9kgKs and kzbin.info/www/bejne/fISvZ6OMp7trhtk

[@maisound1444]

I love your content, book and website and I’m all hooked up on sodas know. Thank you so much! I was looking to buy this percolator model but having some issues since it’s not available in Europe. Reading recipes from your book I’ve found that sometimes it says to “cork” the percolator so it got me wondering: could I just make a similar device just by cutting off the bottom of a glass bottle? I can imagine that percolators back in the days were much simpler tools (and now I’m also curious on how pharmacist’s percolators actually were). If it’s ok to do so, is there some important things I should keep in account (type of glass, bottle size…)?

[@Artofdrink]

Thanks and yes you can cut the bottom off a glass bottle and it will work fine, you just need some flow control device on the other end. There is this video of a guy doing extracts with a bottle kzbin.info/www/bejne/foiukH9je6iLZs0

[@maisound1444]

Thank you so much! That’s exactly what I was looking for. I see he uses a 1.5L bottle, would you recommend a smaller size? Like a regular 750ml wine bottle?

[@Artofdrink]

@@maisound1444 a 750 mL bottle would be more convenient and if you can fine tall bottles even better.

[@fabiocosta2453]

How should I clean my glassware after this kind of extract? A thorough soapy water clean up is enough or should I use additional procedures/products?

[@Artofdrink]

I just do a light soap and water wash. Don't use a lot of soap, or if you do, rinse well. If you are using a percolator with a removable stopcock then remove that and give it a clean as well. Then air dry, reassemble, and it is ready to go.

[@chefandiskitchen7143]

Are you able to do this same procedure with fresh veggies like corn?

[@charliecrebs1641]

Is there a non alcoholic solvent you could use? Creating N/A drinks. Love your content thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@Artofdrink]

Glad you enjoy the video and I'm working on the non-alcoholic solvent video(s). It is a big topic.

[@woodsstuffmx]

hello, very new to this art. I have look for this non-alcoholic video but did not find it or i should ask if you had chance to make it. thank you for sharing your knowledge. @@Artofdrink

[@jamesfino7962]

The Magic Bullet has a milling blade.

[@stephe4054]

Forgive my bad hearing, but do you say it has to be “course” sand or “quartz” sand. I know both exist, but having trouble sourcing the quartz where I live. Will any others work?

[@Artofdrink]

The sand should be coarse, to allow the liquid to pass quicker. And quartz sand is also good, but most types of sand work fine.

[@stephe4054]

@@Artofdrink Awesome! Thanks so much. Can't tell you how much I appreciate, enjoy, and learn from these videos! Totally unlike anything else that's out there.

[@crcarlsonUT]

Thanks again for the fun content. My percolator recently arrived and it has been fun making extracts. Are there any rules of thumb for substituting extracts for essences? For instance If I wanted to make wintergreen extract or orange oil extract rather than use an essence, could I swap 1 for 1 or some other dilution ratio?

[@Artofdrink]

The two methods do different things, specifically, the extracts pull out more bitter compounds whereas the essence is usually just the aroma compounds. But, you can do anything you want, that's the great thing about this, but when following a specific recipe, essences and extracts are not quite interchangeable, though you will still get similar aromas, just a more bitter drink, which can be good in some cases.

[@crcarlsonUT]

@@Artofdrink The different aspects of the content are starting to make sense, thank you.

[@josephruff6412]

Hey, thanks for the previous help with making tarkuna, it worked really well and I'm really happy with the results. I'm now looking to try making moxie syrup and have made a gentian extract. I do have one more question to pester you with though. I used a maceration method to extract my gentian root as I didn't have the required equipment for percolation. It's been sitting in a jar for about 3 weeks now but in order to fully cover my gentian root I had to use twice as much vodka as you did (90g gentian to about 180ml vodka). Would it be safe to assume that as I've doubled the amount of solvent used to make the extract I should likewise double the amount of it I use in recipes?

[@Artofdrink]

You are welcome. For the gentian extract, yes you would use double though with gentian start with a small amount and work your way up, it can pack a bitter punch.

[@josephruff6412]

@@Artofdrink Thanks a lot. I was a big fan of Tarkuna, I actually went on holiday to Georgia last year and didn't try it while I was out there. I did drink the pear soda that is popular out there though which was really good. It'd be interesting to hear your take on something like Dandelion and Burdock, it's a criminally underrated drink over here in the UK, and this is where it's from. It, like Tarkuna, tastes completely unlike most other drinks that are available. Thanks again.

[@EricVercauteren-uv1ge]

Macerating redwood chips results in a nice color within hours, but is redwood poisonous or not?

[@NoahKainWhittington]

I am ordering the stuff I need to do this next week! Will the percalation process work with vanilla beans as well?

[@Artofdrink]

It will, though vanilla beans are hard to grind to a fine powder and they often introduce moisture/water to the extract but it should be fine.

[@NoahKainWhittington]

@@Artofdrink With that it mind I may put the vanilla beans in a dehydrator on a low setting for a while. I have a vitamix that will hopefully grind them into a fine powder afterwards.

[@Mikeybomb44]

Hey Darcy, is there a way to perform an extraction of organic material that requires less mass such as vanilla beans? I'm kind of curious as to how the old pharmacists used to make their own vanilla extracts, versus just the normal maceration for a year.

[@Artofdrink]

Yes, check out the tincture video, because vanilla extract is actually a tincture (10 grams of vanilla bean per 100 ml of solution). Historically, macerations were 7 to 14 days, and then they aged the extract for a few weeks or months, they didn't macerate the mixture for a year. Percolations was the preferred method of pharmacists for almost all extracts and tinctures.

[@Mikeybomb44]

@@Artofdrink Awesome! That's good knowledge to know! Always glad to hear someone's passing down old knowledge

[@maisound1444]

@@Artofdrink may you expand on this? Does this mean I should follow the method described on the tincture video to make vanilla extract?

[@LammaTavis]

I love your videos and they are helping me a lot. thanks! 🙂 I have a question. You said that percolation takes a lot less time than maceration. But, I wonder why that would be - if the solvent, temperature and substrate are all the same, why the increased speed?

[@Artofdrink]

With a percolator, you can use finely pulverized material (40 mesh) which allows more rapid extraction of the oils from the solids. When you macerate you typically use a courser material because it is easier to filter, but because it is course it takes longer for extraction. You could use a 40 mesh powder for maceration but you'd make a paste that would be difficult to filter unless you set it up like a percolator. Filter paper will clog at these fine mesh sizes.

[@LammaTavis]

@@Artofdrink I see. Thanks for your reply!

[@stevengayler8447]

Id love to know your opinion or experience with using a whip cream maker full of everclear and herbs. Its worked for me and is nearly instant. The nitrous cylinders are a bit expensive which kind of sucks.

[@Artofdrink]

Haven't tried it yet, maybe in a future video I'll to a comparision.

[@DmM843]

Does this percolator extraction method also work with yerba mate? There are several famous sodas with mate here in germany (like Club-Mate, Mio Mate, Flora Mate,...) and they all rely on yerba mate extract. Anything I need to watch out for when I try to recreate these drinks? Have you heard about these mate sodas before? Thanks for your extremely interesting videos!

[@Artofdrink]

It does, and yerba mate was mentioned in old pharmacy journals though my quick look hasn't found any old soda recipes using yerba mate, though guarana was common in soda.

[@deciduouspourist]

I recently had a drink with cardamom syrup in it and want to make my own. I bought both cardamom essential oil and green cardamom pods. I was going to do the maceration method that I've done in the past, though you've inspired me to try this quicker method. You say in the video description that essences capture the aroma compounds and extracts capture flavour compounds. So I could end up with different tasting syrups depending on if I started with the oil or made my own extract from the pods? Or would it be ideal to combine both oil and extract for the final syrup to get the best of both dimensions? In your cinnamon syrup video you suggest using the oil instead of the cinnamon sticks themselves, so maybe the difference would be too subtle to notice, or maybe it depends on the ingredient?

[@Artofdrink]

Yes, you can mix essences and extracts, they did it frequently at soda fountains to get a more rounded flavour. If you are doing an extract, you can mix the essential oils will the material before percolating (it doesn't work well with maceration because the oils flout) but with a percolator the alcohol soluble flavours are extracted and pulled down, while the nonsoluble terpene fraction moves up in the percolator. Or you can make them separately and combine them in whatever ratio you feel is the best flavour.

[@TopHatFellows]

Is there a way to do this either a sous vide?

[@KBsPromotions]

Thanks for the video! I've recently started experimenting with this and have been yuielding less than the amount of solvent I put in. Is that normal? Am i doing anything wrong you think? Also would the strength be determined based off of the initial amounts/proportions used or is it based off of the herb weight : final extract/tincture volume? Basically how do you calculate the POTENCY is of the finished product? Thank you so much for your time!

[@Artofdrink]

Theoretically, you should get a higher yield, but if the powder is to fine it will retain alcohol. And according to historical journals, 100 ml of solvent extraction 100 grams of substance can effectively be 100% extraction, though I suspect it is closer to 90%. But they were going for a fully saturated extract, which these tend to produce.

[@SaavasLP]

Are there any concerns with using laboratory equipment for food-related extractions? I live outside of the US so I have to find a reasonable replacement for the recommended percolator, and I wonder if there are any precautions I should take before purchasing or using one. Thanks for another fantastic video!

[@Artofdrink]

No concerns with lab glass, it is just a more resistant type of glass similar to Pyrex glass. You can make a percolator by cutting the bottom off a glass bottle, you’ll have to look for methods on KZbin. But all glass products are generally inert. And glad you found the video useful.

[@LammaTavis]

i was able to purchase the captioned equipment online and have it shipped to Hong Kong.

[@TheJoYo]

an aeropress does a pretty good job if you already got one.

[@jondenton2877]

Would using vacuum filtration be useful at all for increasing yield? Looks like a similar setup.

[@Artofdrink]

The key to this method is the slow percolation that fully extracts the flavour compounds. If you pulled the solvent out to quickly it wouldn't do a complete extraction. There methods like vacuum or soxhlet extraction, but those tend to be much more expensive than this method. Percolation works and you only need 24 to 48 hours to get a complete extraction, without much investment in equipment.

[@Unibrow51]

Any other solvent other than alcohol we can use

[@AdrenalineRProd]

Hello there! One question: why do you dilute the alchool?

[@Artofdrink]

It helps keep most of the terpenes, which are insoluble in water, from being extracted. Helps makes the drinks more stable.

[@tamilang5138]

I would like to make a birch bark extract. Any tips on grinding it? My little spice grinder isn’t doing the job. I’m interested in making birch bark soda. Would you have any tips for me?

[@Artofdrink]

Typically, birch beer was made by boiling a mixture of birch and sugar and then fermenting it. The soda version is made from distilled essential oils (methyl salicylate or oil of wintergreen). Check out the essence video I did and the wintergreen essence in that video would make birch soda.

[@tonylovering4672]

I wanted to make tonic water so was going to try to extract Chinchona bark. How do I insure i don't use too much bark and get too much quinine?

[@Artofdrink]

I've done a video on this exact topic, check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWO1k4qvo5Wca68

[@asdfthegreat1675]

After the extraction is done, can you still smell the alcohol and the herb in the remaining material? I still can, altough the smell is considerably weaker than the freshly ground herbs. Does that mean the extraction wasn't complete? Should I add more solvent to get the most efficiency out of the more expensive plants?

[@Artofdrink]

You'll always be able to smell the herb as the threshold for aroma is in ppm (parts per million) so even a 10th of a drop will smell. You can try to extract more, but it won't be the standard 100g/100ml so may not work well in future formulas that I share, but it will work fine for anything you create.

[@matheusheringer]

What if I put in a vacuum bag to extract 1:1? That will buy me some time compared to a maceration jar?

[@Artofdrink]

You can, but as always test and compare if possible.

[@crs4gb]

Could you also use celite to help pack the percolator?

[@Artofdrink]

You may find it too fine and wouldn't allow the liquid to flow at a reasonable rate.

[@danielquilodranoliva5580]

hi! thanks for the video. How do you wash the sand ? and can you use any cotton ?

[@Artofdrink]

Just run water through the sand until the water runs clear.

[@danielquilodranoliva5580]

​@@Artofdrink thank you so much! ... the cotton balls and pads must be 100% organic right? and after wash the sand it's left to dry and it's ready ?

[@Artofdrink]

@@danielquilodranoliva5580 doesn't have to be organic, just pure cotton. And once the sand is dry it is ready.

[@OzMaHmkar]

​@@danielquilodranoliva5580After washing I dried my sand in a stove, spread evenly on a baking paper at 120 celcius. Worked great. Took a couple hours I think.

[@darkluna3850]

Do you happen to know the brand of aquarium sand you buy? I'm having a hard time finding just quartz sand. Also, what is the importance of using quartz sand?

[@Artofdrink]

Quartz sand is just common sand, as opposed to sand with calcium content. And it is important because quartz is inhert.

[@samfrigard]

I might be overthinking this but I'm having difficulty finding quartz sand. I've found 100% natural sand at the pet store but it's definitely not white like the stuff you use.

[@Artofdrink]

Yes, overthinking, but that's not a bad thing. Any quartz based sand works, as long as it is natural and not artificially coloured.

[@alchemikas555]

You mention "any dried herb will work". How about fresh herbs, like basil, mint, sage? is it possible to make ticture or extract from it? or it needs to be dried first?

[@Artofdrink]

They should be dry, fresh herb make a difficult mixture to get the extract from.

[@mikhailnikolskiy8564]

I wonder if it is possible to do all the process in a vacuum bags? Will it be the same if I put ground herbs and a solvent into a vacuum bag, vacuum seal it in a professional grade vacuum sealer and leave for 48 hours(or maybe sous vide to speed up the process), and just strain it through coffee filter in the end? Or am I missing something? I also missed why you diluted your alcohol down and to what degree. Will using 40 ABV solvent work the same or the flavours won't be so profound? Great video though! Very informative. Thanks!

[@mikhailnikolskiy8564]

Never mind the second part. Just found a comment below.

[@Artofdrink]

You can, but much like maceration you need to keep the ground herbs course for filtration purposes. The percolators key benefit is that it is self filtering, with fine powders. Coffee filters work, but they are messy. But really, any method works, but some are just more efficient than others.

[@davidlau6065]

What does it mean to be self-filtering? Is it a similar mechanism to milk washing/paneer making? What does it mean for the sand to be a filter bed?

[@Artofdrink]

Self-filtering means that the particle size of the ground herbs or spice is fine enough that it compacts and allows liquid through but not the other material. And no it is not similar to milk washing. A sand filter bed is just sand used as a filter.

[@AlexanderKEmery]

Can you use a bruckner vaccum filter instead?

[@Artofdrink]

Yes you can

[@pmef3559]

If I only have access to a 1000ml dropping funnel, can I still make the smaller recipe in it or would I have to scale up to get proper extraction?

[@Artofdrink]

As long as the amount of material isn’t less than a quarter of the total volume, you should be fine.

[@Matowix]

Do u know the coco cola recipe of old ? I guess it can't be that amazing and unique since multiple other companies like Pepsi make an exact replica

[@Artofdrink]

I do, I have many cola recipes, including one of the original Coca-Cola recipes. Back in the early 1900s, Asa Candler was the owner and he ended up getting divorced and his ex-wife would sell the Coke recipe for $500 to anyone who paid. The recipe was eventual published in a soda makers manual. I also have a Pepsi recipe (1920s) and Crystal Pepsi. I plan on making videos about all of these.

[@josefmicallef9079]

Thanks for the info. What is the difference between extract and essential oil?

[@Artofdrink]

And extract is usually an alcoholic (or glycerin) extract of a herb or spice. An essential oil is the oil collected from cold pressing and filtering, like orange oil, or distilled from spices and herbs like cinnamon.

[@josefmicallef9079]

@@Artofdrink can they be used interchangeably?

[@Artofdrink]

@@josefmicallef9079 in some cases yes, but not really, they have different flavour profiles (extracts tend to have more bitterness)

[@kingbossman1307]

Hi. I wanna experiment with some fruits. How do you extract oils from fruits which are not citrus.

[@Artofdrink]

Hey King, fruit, other than citrus, usually need distillation to extract the flavours, though you can use alcohol to extract some flavour, it really does require some level of concentration to taste similar to the real fruit.

[@kingbossman1307]

@@Artofdrink thanks a lot. You're a star 🌟

[@mattjanzen2344]

Do you find any issues of evaporation of the solvent during the 24hr maceration, or is there a cover you're using on the percolator?

[@Artofdrink]

I put a glass cover over top, though with such a small diameter you wouldn't loose much alcohol over 24 hours.

[@LammaTavis]

@@Artofdrink Also, I would think you wouldn't want to cover it in an airtight way as this would slow or even stop the process.

[@AndrewGonzalesArtistry]

Could you do something like this in a jar as you would a tincture? …and then just press the moist sediment to extract the liquid? I’m trying to understand how this method produces such a concentrated result compared to a tincture. Is it because of the ratio of herb (or whatever) to alcohol? Id like to try this with hops but can’t quite afford the percolator at this time so I’m just wondering if it can be accomplished with a jar and then a means of filtering afterwards.

[@Artofdrink]

You could macerate it in in a jar, but you will fine a 1:1 ratio with a fine powder tricky to filter and your yield would be lower, but it would work.

[@AndrewGonzalesArtistry]

@@Artofdrink Thank you for your time!

[@amiali1373]

Can I use gum Arabic instead of alcohol?

[@Artofdrink]

No, gum arabic isn't a solvent

[@amiali1373]

@@Artofdrink thanks for the reply 😊

[@antazuhdi5076]

Hi, did you dilute your alcohol with water (the green bottle)?

[@Artofdrink]

Yes, I usually dilute it to about 60% abv

[@EEZYEEEE]

Do you have to throw away the material after one use or can it be reused X number of time?

[@Artofdrink]

Yes the material is exhausted, the extraction process removes at least 90%+ of the volatile materials. It was designed to be efficient.

[@samfrigard]

I'm currently watching my solvent slowly make its way down the funnel. It has taken almost half an hour but it's definitely still moving. I'm assuming I either didn't moisten the gentian enough or maybe I ground it too fine. Anyways, besides it taking longer is there anything else I should look out for? Hoping that it's salvageable. Thanks!

[@Artofdrink]

As long as it is moving it is fine. Sometimes they take 4 hours, plus slower is actually better as you get a better extract. If it moves really slowly that is often a sign of too fine a powder, but just let it sit overnight and it will all drain out. You really can't ruin these as long as the liquid drains.

[@samfrigard]

@@Artofdrink Thanks so much, I'll just sit tight then. Your channel has proved invaluable, a fantastic resource.

[@talhadad6284]

Can you do it with citrus peel?

[@Artofdrink]

You can, I recommend drying the peels first otherwise you'll extract the water in the fresh peel.

[@worksafe3441]

I've been making a soda from a particular type of tea lately. It's already a particularly bitter tea. I've simply been brewing the tea and making a syrup out of that. However, we're looking to boost that flavor considerably while reducing how much tea waste we produce. Would this be a potentially effective method for reducing our waste while retaining or boosting that tea flavor? (I already have a similar set up.) Would there be a massive flavor profile difference between traditionally brewed tea, a 50%ABV extraction and a glycerin extraction?

[@Artofdrink]

Possibly, but the best way to figure it out is to give it a try since you have a similar setup.

[@heymrmoo]

I'm doing the same thing at the moment. Only my end goal is to create a tea concentrate which has both taste and aroma components of black tea. I'm boiling black tea, any advice on how to recover the aroma that's being boiled off?

[@GmanLuvFilms]

I tried using this method with Kola nut powder. It took 2+ hours for the alcohol to reach the bottom. Is this because it was packed too tightly?

[@Artofdrink]

Mostly likely the kola but is packed too fine, as you mentioned, and the powder may be too fine. Also, make sure you macerate the kola with a little alcohol before packing it into the percolator.

[@maisound1444]

I finally have a percolator at home and started using it and it is awesome! You’ve opened up a whole set of possibilities for me. I have a few questions though: what would be a good ratio to use the extracts to flavor syrups or liqueurs? Is it similar to essences? Would 1oz to 1 liter be a good starting point? The firs extract I made yielded a very low amount (20ml out of 150), I’ve seen in the comments you suggested to pour water in the percolator to push down the rest of the extract. I did that and it “kinda” worked: I managed to collect more extract but the flow of the percolator was pretty high as soon as I poured water, and after a while the liquid dripping was very cloudy: is this because after a while it’s just water (cloudy)? How important is the flow rate? Will the cloudiness of the liquid go away as soon as I mix it white a spirit or a syrup? Sorry if this was way too long, again thank you so much for your work: it was life changing for me 🙏

[@Artofdrink]

Yes, 1 oz to a litre should be fine, maybe less depending on how strong it takes. And make sure your herbs/spices are not a fine powder as they tend to retain a lot of liquid. And yes, adding warter will help and if you want to remove cloudiness just add a small amount of alcohol to the extract and it will start to clear up. It doesn't need to be perfectly clear as it will be clear when you make the final drink.

[@pedrorodriguespatacas6894]

Hello. Thank you for your video. Of the three videos about percolation tha i saw on youtube, I liked yours the most. I've been doing a lot of macerarions and the process of shaking, pressing and filtering is exausting. I hope i can do right with my new percolator. I have one question about this comment. My first experience was with coffee. Maybe it was too much fine of a powder. I used a 1:2 ratio and the final extract was about 35% of the initial menstrum. The second experiment was with passionflower, but in these case the milller didn't powder enough and there were some bigger particles. I did a 1:3 ratio. The final liquid was only about 25% of the initial menstrum, even after pressing inside the charger funnel. Herbs were not to tight because it took less than 30 minutes for the menstrum to low to the botton. How can you achive good yelds, about 75% of the initial menstrum? Thank you.

[@maisound1444]

@@Artofdrink thank you so much for your reply! 😊

[@matheusheringer]

these only work with dehydrated igredients?

[@Artofdrink]

Mostly, yes. Fresh herbs have too much water, diluting your extract.

[@StevetheBartender_]

Have you experimented with a coffee extract?

[@Artofdrink]

Every morning! I haven’t done an alcohol extract yet but it would do a better job of extracting the oils in roasted coffee. One person made an essence using alcohol and coffee bean essential oil and he said it turned out fantastic

[@StevetheBartender_]

@@Artofdrink thanks for the quick reply Darcy! My open funnel arrive last week so the experiments have begun..

[@Artofdrink]

@@StevetheBartender_ awesome, you will find that it is much more convenient than macerating, and the clarity of the extract is perfect for cocktails.

[@MattCha90]

When making these stronger extracts what would be a good dilution ratio to get them to the strength of a tincture?

[@Artofdrink]

Dilute the extract 10:1 to get a tincture.

[@MattCha90]

@@Artofdrink amazing, thank you 😊 I would love to send you some samples of our bitters to get your feedback

[@samfrigard]

Would it be ok to use a larger funnel? The 500 ml ones are sold out but I can grab a 1000ml one.

[@Artofdrink]

You might have to scale up the recipe. The goal is to allow the solvent to slowly pass through the herbs to extract, with the larger diameter 1000 ml funnels the extraction time speeds up and you might not get as good of an extraction.

[@samfrigard]

@@Artofdrink I'll give that a go. Much appreciated.

[@davidlau6065]

This worked well with fennel, but cinnamon totally choked. It was sweet on the tongue and had a viscous, syrupy texture that would hardly travel through the cotton ball even after multiple day. Why is this? Do I have no choice but to use cinnamon oil?

[@Artofdrink]

When you use cinnamon oil, you can always add a few sticks of cinnamon to the essence to get a more rounded flavour. How fine was the cinnamon powder? You might just need to use a course grind.

[@davidlau6065]

@@Artofdrink I'm years late, but I figured this might help other people. I had used a coarse espresso grind (I make espresso at home). But a few days ago, I used ceylon cinnamon (true "cinnamon") instead of cassia bark ("normal" cinnamon found in most western groceries), and it extracted just fine despite a very comparable grind size.

[@MattCha90]

Love your content as always, I sent you an email with hopes of getting in touch for some consultation. 😁

[@Dr_Bombay]

is there a way to do an extract or tincture with FRESH herbs? or do you have to dry them first, grind them, and then do an extraction?

[@Artofdrink]

Fresh herbs get pretty gummy and the chlorophyll can leave a taste and there is a lot of water in fresh herbs. Basically, you will have a low yield and excess water. But nothing is stopping you if you want to try.

[@Dr_Bombay]

@@Artofdrink hmm, that's good information, thank you. sounds like drying them first would be the way to go then.

[@gorilaz0n]

If I dry peppers, can I extract pure capsaicin?

[@Artofdrink]

Yes you can, it won't be pure capsaicin but it will be really concentrated. Make sure you don't grind the peppers to fine as you will get a fairly thick extract.

[@kraigsmusicalworks4400]

Could I use glycerin instead of alcohol?

[@Artofdrink]

Possibly, but in all honesty glycerin isn't a great for extracting, it's popular because it is non-alcoholic. Propylene glycol is probably better. I'll be doing a non-alcoholic extract video in the future.

[@matheusheringer]

Can I make that extract with a 40% ABV vodka? The law only allows to buy in the store spirits up to 54%, which already are dificult to find.

[@Artofdrink]

You can, though they sometimes come out cloudy, but taste fine.

[@matheusheringer]

@@Artofdrink I've found online an 96% ABV alcohol cereal base, can I do with this? The formula stil is 100 to 100 or I have to dilute that alcohol to a low ABV? Like a 60 abv?

[@Artofdrink]

@@matheusheringer you need to dilute the 96% abv down to about 60% abv for best results

[@matheusheringer]

@@Artofdrink preferable with potable water right. Thank you!