Every good thing requires time. Ain’t it? With a few Andapa Vanilla Beans in hand, some 80 proof alcohol and with enough patience, you will be greatly rewarded with the most magical & heavenly scent and taste of our Andapa Vanilla Beans. Let the vanilla & vodka concoction age over time! Et Voila, your homemade vanilla extract is ready to do its magic. 

~ Gather Your Ingredients ~

5 Andapa Vanilla Beans [Add to cart]

100 ml Vodka, 80 proof (Rum or Bourbon as preferred)

Glass bottles/jars with tight lid

~ Process ~

1. Slit the vanilla beans lengthwise. Without scraping out the seeds, cut the beans into small pieces to fit your bottle. Put the beans in the glass bottle or jar and top it with enough vodka to keep the beans submerged completely. 

2. Shake the bottle every couple of days or once a week.

3. Allow the vanilla beans to imbue in the alcohol for a minimum of 2 months. For optimal flavour, allow it to age for 6 months to 1 year. Extract tastes better and becomes darker in colour the longer it sits.

TIP: As you use it up, keep adding more alcohol to keep the beans submerged. Replace the old vanilla beans as they start to lose their flavour and keep adding new beans to the same extract to keep the potency intact.

Vanilla extract is most commonly made from vodka, but you can use bourbon, brandy or rum instead. Also avoid flavoured vodka as they often contain artificial flavours, which negates the purpose of making your own pure vanilla bean extract.

If you are addicted to FAKE VANILLA ESSENCE, using vanilla bean ~ which is a stunningly complex and subtle spice ~ lends a more nuanced flavour to your sweet or savoury dishes and beverages, and does not come any bit closer to the store-bought quality that is imitated or chemically synthesised to mimic the flavour of vanillin which is anything but ‘plain sweet’!