Does anyone on here make their own liquor or liqueur?

Just out of curiosity... I've been thinking about trying a few different things and was looking for some input.

Not the actual alcohol part, but I have a bitchin' recipe for home made Kahlua that's sugar free and packed with Everclear.

Not hard liquor.. Several people on here (including myself) homebrew and make wine.

Distilling is illegal in all 50 U.S. states without a license. That being said, I believe the licenses are getting cheaping for nano-distillers.

reddit.com/r/firewater may be of some assistance.

I know some one who does and it will get you berkeleyED.

I built a stove top pot still years ago, rather simple for GRM types. All SS and copper. Pot stills are not very efficient tho. Google 'reflux stills', find a good recipe, get 'er done.

Appleseed wrote: Not the actual alcohol part, but I have a bitchin' recipe for home made Kahlua that's sugar free and packed with Everclear.

I'm listening...

This is something I've been thinking about recently, as well. I already home brew and distilling seems like a natural progression (plus I find the simple science behind it fascinating).

I expect to throw together a simple pot still within the next month or so and see what happens.

There is an intriguing article on the Instructables website on distilling. It includes diagrams, plans, simple recipe, etc. I homebrew and found it interesting.

In reply to That_Renault_Guy:

I can't say I'd recommended discussing such things on a public forum over an account linked to your location. Concentrating alcohol is a serious crime to the ATF, and do remember, they are a tax agency and make up the rules as they go along. Its to my understanding being caught with so much as a pressure cooker with an extra hole drilled in it can put you in a lot of trouble.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: In reply to That_Renault_Guy: I can't say I'd recommended discussing such things on a public forum over an account linked to your location. Concentrating alcohol is a serious crime to the ATF, and do remember, they are a tax agency and make up the rules as they go along. Its to my understanding being caught with so much as a pressure cooker with an extra hole drilled in it can put you in a lot of trouble.

Fair enough, I haven't really started looking into the legality of it yet - I assumed it was a "for personal consumption only" situation.

If it truly is an ATF situation even at this level, I might have to reconsider.

It's an ATF situation, for sure, but....

They sell stills openly at every homebrew store out there and there are LOTS of people doing it, presumably without anyone's permission. For the most part, this falls in the "likely too small potatoes to be worth the government's trouble" category. One of those things that they will rake you over the coals for if they want an excuse to rake you over the coals.

Hypothetically, you can build a still out of an old beer keg, some copper tube, silver solder and seals made from cork and a flour+water paste. With some careful thought to how you couple the copper coil to the keg, you can design it so it all breaks back down into stuff that works as a wort chiller and other brewing equipment. The heater can be the same sort of propane burner you'd use for brewing. Safety is obviously a concern. Materials selection is critical if you don't want to poison yourself, as pure ethanol vapors are Serious Business that will turn plastic and most metals into Bad News. And you wouldn't want to run this setup indoors or anywhere without enough airflow to take care of any potential vapor leaks.

I can imagine that a person might use it a couple times to make apple brandy out of some so-so hard cider. I strongly suspect it'd be pretty good stuff. As a craft distiller you'd be able to be a LOT more selective about which particular compounds you choose to keep in. It'd feel like some sort of crazy alchemy putting red wine into a pot and getting straight up clear fire water out on the other end.

Good forums at http://homedistiller.org/forum/

I thought you could distill for personal consumption.

93EXCivic wrote: I thought you could distill for personal consumption.

You can get a free permit to make ethanol for fuel, assuming you promise to add 2% gasoline to make it poisonous. If you want to make a single drop for human consumption, you have to go through tons of hoops. Expensive permit, then you have to keep all sorts of records of your production and pay crazy taxes on it.

Dunno about the legality of just possessing a still. They sell 'em everywhere these days.

You can use a distiller to clean up your water or to make essential oils. Not all stills make homemade liquor.

I've made limoncello, various other citrus 'cellos, and herb and vegetable infusions with good success, and I've started playing around with making Aquavit lately. All done with Everclear as the base spirit for maximum extraction, then sweetened and diluted to tastes before bottling. Pretty straightforward stuff, lots of potential to fun combinations.

ppddppdd wrote: For the most part, this falls in the "likely too small potatoes to be worth the government's trouble" category. One of those things that they will rake you over the coals for if they want an excuse to rake you over the coals.

[flounder] ask randy weaver's wife about that [/flounder]

I thought someone on here had done a sort of Absenthe, or maybe that was on GT40s.com... Anyway, I'd love to try that, but without so much liccorice taste... A different flavored absenthe would be cool.

If you're worried about being 'tracked' at sites online then don't do it.

Ask around, maybe the locals have a family recipe they'd share if they trust you.

I'd love to find a way to do an anise liqueur of any kind - absinthe, Chartreuse, Pernod, Herbsaint, etc. But I think the blend of botanicals required is probably outside the realm of hobbyist.

I was more interested in using vodka to make a raspberry or other fruit flavored liqueur. The home made still thing was merely an idea, I had no idea possessing a still would be so illegal since they sell them at a lot of places... I also figured it was a personal consumption issue.

We made some limoncello a couple years ago. Not good.

We've been gifted limoncello made by several friends. Also not good.

I recommend not making limoncello.

motomoron wrote: We made some limoncello a couple years ago. Not good. We've been gifted limoncello made by several friends. Also not good. I recommend not making limoncello.

I've had some limoncello from the store. Again, not good.

Wtf is limoncello ?

Lemon flavored Liqueur.

I have a friend who refers to it as liquid panty remover.

In reply to Joshua:

Simple infusions are pretty damn easy, and yield good results. I'd recommend starting with Everclear, and use a ton of fruit. Then you can use simple syrup to dilute it down to reasonable drinking levels, and sweeten it up.