Homemade Vanilla Extract Part 1

Sure, you can buy vanilla extract at the grocery store, but how much more awesome is it to be able to make it yourself? It's easy and delicious.

I buy vanilla beans online, from Beanilla, in a kit that comes with a bottle. It's easy, slice the beans in half and cover in alcohol and shake the bottle once a week for two months. (If you decide to go another route than using Beanilla's kit, the ratio I've successfully used is 3 beans to 1 cup of liquor.)

This time around, I am expermenting with the flavor difference of using vodka and bourbon. You know, for science.

In two months, I'll report back on whether or not there seems to be much of a flavor distance in baked goods. Probably meringues, which really show off the flavor of the vanilla. But I have two months, so we'll see. For now... a picture of the extracts on day one.