Mortar & KettleSPICE MIX · №036
Alcohol-Free Vanilla Extract Easy · 3+ months · Forgiving · 1 vial vanilla drawn out with glycerin, not alcohol, in a slow dark-cupboard infusion Real vanilla extract without a drop of alcohol. A single pod, split and sliced thin, is steeped in nothing but food-grade glycerin and a little distilled water. Warmed once to open the infusion, it is then left in a dark cupboard for months while the glycerin slowly pulls the vanillin and the pod's softer aromatics into solution. The result is rounder and sweeter than an alcohol tincture, with none of the boozy sharpness, and it folds straight into batters and creams. Patience is the only hard part: give it at least three months. INGREDIENTS 1 pod vanilla bean (split & sliced thin) 5 ml vegetable glycerin (food-grade; ≈ 1 tsp) 5 ml filtered water (distilled; ≈ 1 tsp) Method Prep: Split the vanilla pod lengthwise, then slice it thinly across so the seeds and pod are exposed. Combine: In a small vial, stir the glycerin and distilled water together. Warm: Lower the vial into a pot of about 60°C water to warm the mixture, then add the sliced vanilla and stir. (a few minutes) Extract: Seal the vial and keep it in a dark cupboard at room temperature, shaking it every few days, for at least three months. (3+ months) The chemistry vanillin (C₈H₈O₃) · vanilla, drawn slowly

Mortar & Kettle · MORTARANDKETTLE.COM

SPICE MIX · №036

Alcohol-Free Vanilla Extract

Name: Alcohol-Free Vanilla Extract
Yield: 1 vials
Ingredients: 1 pod vanilla bean; 5 ml vegetable glycerin; 5 ml filtered water

vanilla drawn out with glycerin, not alcohol, in a slow dark-cupboard infusion

Real vanilla extract without a drop of alcohol. A single pod, split and sliced thin, is steeped in nothing but food-grade glycerin and a little distilled water. Warmed once to open the infusion, it is then left in a dark cupboard for months while the glycerin slowly pulls the vanillin and the pod's softer aromatics into solution. The result is rounder and sweeter than an alcohol tincture, with none of the boozy sharpness, and it folds straight into batters and creams. Patience is the only hard part: give it at least three months.

Easy3+ monthsForgiving

SweetFloral

Method

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Prep: Split the vanilla pod lengthwise, then slice it thinly across so the seeds and pod are exposed.

▸1 podvanilla bean

Combine: In a small vial, stir the glycerin and distilled water together.

▸5 mlvegetable glycerin▸5 mlfiltered water

Warm: Lower the vial into a pot of about 60°C water to warm the mixture, then add the sliced vanilla and stir.

▸1 podvanilla bean

a few minutes

Extract: Seal the vial and keep it in a dark cupboard at room temperature, shaking it every few days, for at least three months.

3+ months

“Toast, grind, and know exactly why it works.”

THE MORTAR & KETTLE METHOD

The chemistry

SKELETAL STRUCTURES

One compound carries this recipe. Here is what each one does and, where we have it, what it actually looks like.

C₈H₈O₃

vanillin

C₈H₈O₃

The molecule behind vanilla's warm, sweet aroma. Glycerin is a gentler solvent than alcohol, so it pulls the vanillin, along with the pod's softer floral notes, out slowly over months, rounder and less sharp than a quick spirit tincture.

SweetFloral

On the table together

THE INDEX, LINKED

This recipe is part of a set: follow the thread through the blends it uses and what it's served with.

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