Meats and Sausages

Candy Vodkas

Skittles candies.

Candy vodkas have been around for a while and may be considered a quick and an easy way to produce fruit vodkas. Nevertheless, this method is a practical solution for those who are not particularly fond of drinking plain vodka. They are popular among the younger crowd and students who have more free time on their hands. Any candy can be mixed with vodka, however, hard clear candies produce the clearest color. The variety of colors is due to the commercially produced food colorings which have been approved by the Food and Drugs Administration.

Skittles® candies are available all over the world:

Skittles Original Fruit Candies comes in the following flavors:

Grape

Orange

Lemon

Strawberry

Lime

Procedure:

• 1. Separate candies according to flavor (color).
• 2. Immerse candy in vodka. Start with adding 10% of candy in relation to the total volume (1 liter) of 40% (80 proof) vodka. Such vodka will have the degree of sweetness that would appeal to most people. To make it sweeter, add more candy. Shake the bottle.
• 3. Candy should fully dissolve in about a day, however it will be cloudy due to the ingredients that were added during the manufacturing process.
• 4. Filter candy infusion through a paper towel or a coffee filter.
• 5. Filtered vodka is very clear.

Impurities make candy cloudy.

Filtering.

Impurities stay in the filter.

Filtered vodka.

Jolly Rancher® hard candies are very clear and carry wonderful and distinct fruit aroma. They come in many flavors: Original Flavors: Green Apple, Cherry, Watermelon, Grape, Blue Raspberry. Passion Mix: Strawberry, Orange, Raspberry, Peach, Fruit Punch.

Procedure:

• 1. Separate candies according to flavor (color).
• 2. Immerse candy in vodka. Start with adding 10% of candy in relation to the total volume (1 liter) of 40% (80 proof) vodka. All flavors, except grape, came out exceptionally cleared and did not need to be filtered.
• 3. Filter grape vodka.


Jolly Rancher hard candies.



Jolly Rancher candy vodkas.



Jolly Rancher candy vodkas.

Other Candies

Any hard candy will make clear vodka.



Ice Mint (right) and Lemon (left) candy vodkas.



Left - Hard Ice Mint candy, Right - Butterscotch.



Butterscotch Egg Creme.

Candies can be used to make liqueurs and crèmes as well, however, stay away from stuffed candies as this can produce unexpected results. Use chocolate or coffee candies instead.

Don't expect superb quality vodka from a candy as it will retain its candy flavor. However, it is a great idea is to carry a selection of basic extracts and essential oil flavors. One drop of lemon, orange or peppermint oil will add more flavor to 500 ml of vodka. A dissolved candy infusion must be filtered in order to remove all impurities which were added during the candy manufacturing process. This will result in a clear color as well.

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The Practical Guide to Making Salami is a companion book to The Art of Making Fermented Sausages, published in 2008. Since then, more information has become available; safety standards have been updated and tightened, new cultures have appeared, and getting supplies and newer equipment online has become more accessible. The most relevant theory has been transferred from The Art of Making Fermented Sausages. Still, The Practical Guide to Making Salami includes plenty of new materials such as fermented spreadable sausages, acidified sausages, or combining acidulants with natural fermentation. The recipes section has been expanded and includes 264 selected recipes from different countries so the reader can immediately produce sausages.