Wednesday 21 September 2011

Still Spirits Hydrometers

Still Spirits have 3 different hydrometers that can be used to check your alcohol's finished strength. Read about them below.




Still Spirits Alcoholmeter 0 -100%

A good general purpose hydrometer for everyday use. It has a range of 0 to 100% alcohol content. As the range is so broad the scale can be hard to read especially in the lower ranges.


The Still Spirits Precision instrument range although not certified for commercial use are made to the same exacting standards.


Precision Alcometer 0%-50%

This hydrometer is ideal for use in measuring and adjusting the finished alcohol strength of your spirits. As this hydrometer covers only the 0 to 0% range on the same length of the scale it is much easier to read and ensure your spirit is at the correct strength for drinking.






Precision Alcometer 70%-100%

The perfect hydrometer for use with the Turbo 500 still and other full reflux stills. It measures in the range of 70 to 100% so is ideal for all reflux stills. As the range of 70 to 100% covers the entire scale it is in quite large increments making measuring the spirit much easier and more accurate. This helps those that wish to set their still to make very pure spirit by easily measuring the spirit to half per cent increments or less in the 90 to 100% range.

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Herbal Liqueurs + Recipes

Herbal liqueurs originated in Europe and are said to have started out as medicinal tonics rather than alcoholic drinks. Two popular and well known liqueurs, Chartreuse and Benedictine are from France and were both originally made by monks for this purpose. Both drinks contain a variety of different herbs and spices, although their recipes remain closely guarded secrets. Another popular herbal liqueur is the German favourite Jagermeister which is thought to contain around 56 herbs.

Here are a couple of tasty and delicious recipes you can make using your finished Still Spirits herbal liqueurs.


Up All Night
1 can Red Bull energy drink
1 shot Herbal Liqueur
Pour Red Bull into a beer mug and drop in a shot glass of herbal liqueur - drink immediately!




Brandy Benedictine Cream
1 nip (30ml) Dictine
1.5 nips (45ml) VSOP
1 nip (30ml) cream
Add all ingredients to a shaker with crushed ice. Shake and serve with a garnish of mint leaves.