Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Rito,
as per title, does anyone have any ideas how to best extract the flavours from this ... plant?

Dry it then use like a herb?
Use it fresh like a herb?

Treat different parts of the plant differently (bulb, fronds, stalks)? :techie-typing:

all I seem to find are ways to cook it to eliminate the liquorice flavour... and if I am told one more time "How beneficial it is because of the fibre" I'll be getting a little emotional...

I'll asking around.

Good question. We often make a salad with nothing but thinly sliced fennel, granny smiths and lemon juice. Yummy with fish. We only use the fennel bulb so next time I'll reserve the stalks, fronds and core and have a go at trying to soak them in neutral to make an extract.

Sweet. Please let me know how you go!

I haven't (consciously) eaten fennel before so have NO idea! Bought on, for shits'n'giggles (unfortunately very little in stalks or fronds - mainly bulb) and was going to dry it in a dehydrator, then soak it in neutral... see what comes of it.

I use dried liq root in the gin basket. Works well.

cheesepizza wrote:I use dried liq root in the gin basket. Works well.

Have this as well.

Thinking I will need to make 'tinctures' of all of the ingredients to see how best to get the strongest flaiva

cheesepizza wrote:I use dried liq root in the gin basket. Works well.

You ever soak it then redistill?

bluc wrote:

cheesepizza wrote:I use dried liq root in the gin basket. Works well.

You ever soak it then redistill?

Yep that also works. Depends what you are after. More intense flavour that way, less subtle

Ot but i decided to try some licorise root. I read on hd 1 tablespoon per litre was a good mix. So I scooped up a decent tablespoon. 7g. And ground it in spice grinder. Was unsure weather to macerate it in 40% or azeo and weather it was a litre of azeo ot litre 40%. So i winged it 420ml 95%+ will make a litre 40 % so put 7g blitzed licorise root into 420ml of 95+ neutral. I will taste daily when right water down and post back :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Just soak a heap of dried licorice root in some 40% for a few days then run it thru a pot still, makes for a great tasting drink not too harsh on the licorice either

It is the fennel seeds rather than the bulb which has the much more pronounced liquorice flavour.

Are you after liquorice flavour or aniseed flavour Ezi?

You're better off with green anise seeds if you're after aniseed flavour.

Professor Green wrote:Are you after liquorice flavour or aniseed flavour Ezi?

You're better off with green anise seeds if you're after aniseed flavour.

I’m chasing a strong liquorice flavour, but to tell you the truth I can’t honestly answer your question because I don’t know what each tastes like separately!

OK, black jelly beans is aniseed.
Black liquorice is, well, liquorice!

Professor Green wrote:OK, black jelly beans is aniseed.
Black liquorice is, well, liquorice!

:teasing-tease:

I like both! If you are familiar with Double-Salted liquorice - that’s my favourite!

But I see your point - better go out and test them again! :D

Being of Dutch background I would say I am rather familiar with salty liquoricey goodness!

I would say that you would probably be better off using green anise seeds rather than fennel. I'm not sure the fennel is going to give you what you're after.

Have you tried the ouzo recipe in the tried and proven section (here)?

Alternatively, just bung some black jelly beans in neutral and make black jelly bean vodka.

Has anyone grown Pimpinella anisum anise .

I haven't, I just buy it.

I expect it would depend on the quantity of seed you need as to whether it would be worth while though.

Professor Green wrote:I haven't, I just buy it.

I expect it would depend on the quantity of seed you need as to whether it would be worth while though.

What do you pay for it .Looked at one herb site and they have none in stock.
Some of these herbs you could grow but have to get off the plant and that could be the uneconomical part.

G'day Prof,

What weight of Chinese Star Aniseed seed would you recommend adding to the botanical basket for an 8 litre 92 AbV reduced to 25 litre 48 Abv for the second still run in the T500? Our little mob have a taste for Ouzo this winter. Just a ball park figure would be great. I have a kilo.

Hey proffessor whats the difference between Pimpinella anisum and green anise seed is it just different names or is it different plant?