Spirits ( Fermentation Innovation )

A recent round of in mail high color marketing introduced me to a new store in my area.  Total Wine & More : 

http://www.totalwine.com/eng/guide-to-spirits/

"People have enjoyed fermented beverages since the beginning of civilization. However, it wasn’t until an alchemist’s discovery of distillation that the party really took off! The art of making distilled beverages creates an endless variety of spirits ranging from the most basic (vodka) to complex (whiskey and brandy)."

"Crafting distilled spirits is a combination of both science and art and can often be a long and difficult process. Many decisions have to be made during production from the type of yeast to use for the initial fermentation, type of still to use, method of distillation, selecting the right barrels (if aging the spirit) to adding additional ingredients before bottling – the choices are almost endless." ref. Total Wines & More

I make a liquor from spirits, water, sugar and vanilla: 

http://priusblack.blogspot.com/2012/01/liquid-creme-brulee.html

The recipe for this sipping liquor was derived from the "Red Eye" recipes that my lovely partner Megan Otto's grandparents the Millers shared with us.

Liquid Creme Brulee (July 2012 recipe update) 

1/2 cup cane sugar 

2 cups water 

1 cup absolute ethanol (190proof) 

1 real vanilla bean.

Procedure

Heat the sugar in a stainless steel pot to about 340deg F.

Remove put from the heat

Add the 2 cups of water slowly

Return the pot mixture to the heat and bring to a boil and stir until all the sugar mixtures has disolved into a carmel colored solution. 

Remove from the heat

Allow this mixture to cool to room temperature

Add your alcohol 

Poor the resulting mixture into its final dispensing container (glass) and throw in your vanilla bean

Let this rest for several weeks and then enjoy it