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Make Your Own Falernum |
Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4806
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
|  Posted: 2012-12-05 09:14 am Permalink
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On 2012-12-04 09:24, Hale Tiki wrote:
So what the hell am I supposed to do with two bottles of velvet falernum?
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Its backup, for when, like last weekend, I ran out of my home made and I needed to make drinks anyway. It'll keep.
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Hale Tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 19, 2004
Posts: 1380
From: Pittsburgh
| Posted: 2012-12-06 07:44 am Permalink
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Its backup, for when, like last weekend, I ran out of my home made and I needed to make drinks anyway. It'll keep.
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Good call!
[ This Message was edited by: Hale Tiki 2012-12-06 07:45 ]
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4806
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2012-12-06 08:38 am Permalink
As a side note here...
I had made a batch of allspice dram and instead of storing it in the fridge, I had it on the shelf. That is a similar mix of sugar syrup and high octane booze. But, last night I found there was mold growing on the surface and the entire full bottle had to be pitched. Sucks.
I am going to run my bottles through the dishwasher I think and keep it in the fridge in the future. I am not sure what is the root cause. Dirt in the bottle, or something coming in after bottling, or it is a fact of life. You might be able to skim the mold off the surface and use the product, but, I am not chancing it. And this is why it is good there is St. Elizabeth availabel at the store...
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AceExplorer
Grand Member (2 years) 
Joined: Apr 03, 2008
Posts: 299
From: Deep in the Jacksonville Florida jungle.
| Posted: 2012-12-06 11:39 am Permalink
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On 2012-12-06 08:38, Swanky wrote:
I am not sure what is the root cause. Dirt in the bottle, or something coming in after bottling, or it is a fact of life.
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It must be spontaneous generation! (Thinking waaaaaay back to my science class when I was a wee tiki kid...)
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Drinking rum before 10am makes you a pirate, not an alcoholic.
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Kilaueakyd
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Nov 20, 2012
Posts: 22
From: Calgary,AB, Canada
| Posted: 2013-01-05 02:56 am Permalink
You don't want botulism, put it in a jar with a rubber seal and boil it completely submerged for 20 or 30 minutes. Old maple syrup jars are great. And make sure everything is really clean.
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AceExplorer
Grand Member (2 years)
Joined: Apr 03, 2008
Posts: 299
From: Deep in the Jacksonville Florida jungle.
| Posted: 2013-01-05 06:37 am Permalink
Heat treating is something I've never thought of doing, but I'm sure it would work as you've outlined. The only thing I would be careful about is elevating the temperature too long and too high, like to the boiling point -- that could very likely have an impact on the flavor of the syrup. But elevating the temperature is good, I wonder what the appropriate temperature and length of time would be? 140 degrees? 180 degrees? And for how long do you maintain that temp? Then it would also be important to drop the temperature very quickly afterwards so that the syrup ingredients don't "cook" and change flavor. I think a web search on pasteurization would yield additional guidance. I would also do a "heated" and "non-heated" taste test for comparison. And I also think that some syrup flavors would be less impacted by heating - cinnamon syrup for example - than others. Interesting thoughts and ideas here. Fire up the bunsen burners in the tiki drink laboratory!
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Kilaueakyd
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Nov 20, 2012
Posts: 22
From: Calgary,AB, Canada
| Posted: 2013-01-06 10:49 pm Permalink
Perhaps freezing the Syrup in ice cube trays would work. You could control the portion and pop some out of the freezer when you need them.
Tiki Popsicles next.
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Kilaueakyd
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Nov 20, 2012
Posts: 22
From: Calgary,AB, Canada
| Posted: 2013-01-06 11:00 pm Permalink
For those who like to experiment
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4806
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2013-01-07 09:48 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2013-01-05 02:56, Kilaueakyd wrote:
You don't want botulism, put it in a jar with a rubber seal and boil it completely submerged for 20 or 30 minutes. Old maple syrup jars are great. And make sure everything is really clean.
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You cannot get botulism from your Falernum going south. Mold may grow on the surface, but it WILL NOT be Botulism. I read a lot about this stuff at one time and can't quote the exact reasons, but it has to do with the sugar. It was covered in some articles on home made jams going bad. Botulinum toxin will just not grow in these conditions.
It was also hinted that the mold, if it grows, is not likely a big problem either. In jam making, they just remove it. With this stuff though, I was too worried to just skim the mold off the top and keep using it. The place of the mold is just not discrete enough for me on the surface of a liquid as opposed to the side of a jar or surface of jam.
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Martiki-bird
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 23, 2007
Posts: 135
From: Blue Lory Lounge, NJ
| Posted: 2013-01-07 11:47 am Permalink
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You cannot get botulism from your Falernum going south. Mold may grow on the surface, but it WILL NOT be Botulism. I read a lot about this stuff at one time and can't quote the exact reasons, but it has to do with the sugar. It was covered in some articles on home made jams going bad. Botulinum toxin will just not grow in these conditions.
It was also hinted that the mold, if it grows, is not likely a big problem either. In jam making, they just remove it. With this stuff though, I was too worried to just skim the mold off the top and keep using it. The place of the mold is just not discrete enough for me on the surface of a liquid as opposed to the side of a jar or surface of jam. |
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Hey, since I want to make sureI see your smiling faces at future tiki events, so here are few food preservation facts useful to syrup-making.
Cheers,
Gina of the Jungle...aka Martiki-bird
The botulism-causing bacterial toxin pops up in some odd places, so don't assume that it won't pop up in your syrups.
The sugar in Falernum sucks the moisture out of bacteria, killing it through dehydration. But if the sugar/water ratio is not ideal, bacteria can grow.
Falernum is probably not acidic enough, or salty enough, or oxygen-rich enough to be considered a hostile environment at room temperature.
Many will tell you that the odds of getting dangerously sick from using contaminated/old syrup are LOW, but LOW is not the same as NO.
Play it safe. Food poisoning sucks!
Good Food management practices:
* Sterilize your bottles.
* Refrigerate your syrups.
* Store homemade syrups toward the back of the fridge (the coldest place.)
* Clean your fridge regularly so to keep ahead of mold.
* If your Falernum has gone bad (cloudy, moldy), toss it.
* If your homemade grenadine has gone bad, toss it.
* If your syrup has gone moldy, toss it.
More facts for your perusal:
MOLD is not BOTULISM, but MOLD does have the potential to make you sick.
MOLD is a microscopic fungi.Some cause allergic reactions or respiratory problems. Certain molds produce mycotoxins, which are poisonous.
MOLD has a higher tolerance for sugar, salt and cold than BACTERIA.
BACTERIA needs water to live. Sugar and salt create hostile living situation for bacteria...
BACTERIA thrives between 41 - 140 degrees F. BACTERIA still multiplies while in the fridge, but at a much slower rate. As soon as it warms up, those little boogers are back in action.
BOTULISM is a life-threatening illness. It is caused by a toxin produced by a bacteria (the bacteria and its spore do not make you sick). The BACTERIA that can cause this thrives in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) low-acid environment.
FYI, the practice of scraping mold off jelly is no longer considered safe. Aside from the mold that you can see, there may also be bacteria lurking alongside the mold.
FOOD TEMPERATURE CHART
http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/safetysanitation/a/dangerzone_tab.htm
From the CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/botulism/
From the USDA:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Molds_On_Food/index.asp#6
You can also get in touch with your County Extension to get the latest info regarding safe food preservation methods. This info is free.
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4806
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2013-01-08 09:34 am Permalink
"Growth of the bacterium can be prevented by high acidity, high ratio of dissolved sugar, high levels of oxygen, very low levels of moisture or storage at temperatures below 3°C (38°F) for type A. Honey, corn syrup, and other sweeteners may contain spores but the spores cannot grow in a highly concentrated sugar solution."
I can't find what concentration level of sugar is enough anywhere.
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Kill Devil
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 16, 2011
Posts: 119
From: Chicago
| Posted: 2013-01-09 08:17 am Permalink
Drink your stuff as fast as you can make it would be a good rule of thumb! I've always followed the "add an oz of vodka" and refrigerate policy for syrups, and have never had a problem
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