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Wikipedia has a whole article dedicated to this question! Various possible reasons for Bond's preference are given; the last paragraph in this quote seems like the most solid explanation: "Shaken, not stirred" is a catchphrase of Ian Fleming's fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond, and his preference for how he wished his martini prepared. ...

First, the alcohol doesn't burn off. We had a table about the percentage of alcohol left after a period of cooking, and especially in something cooked as short as a pasta sauce, there is a substantial amount left. For the longer discussion, see Cooking away alcohol. Second, alcohol is a great solvent. It can leach aromatics from spices and herbs which ...

Here's a report on an informally conducted taste test suggesting that there are indeed detectable differences between various vodkas: (the report does not say so, but I suspect that much like wine, whether one vodka comes out as better as another one has little to do with its price, except at the very bottom end of the price range) And, yes, there are ...

From my limited (but successful) experience, here are some answers to your subjective questions: Choose peppers whose flavor you do want Avoid peppers whose flavor you do not like (I'd never infuse green bell pepper, blech!) Choose a vodka you'd want to drink (if you like cheap vodka, use it, if you like expensive vodka, use that) As far as the mechanics ...

Yes, there is a difference. Maybe there is no noticeable difference between a Moskovskaya and a Smirnoff, but there is a taste difference between a Moskovskaya and a supermakret house brand. There is an even stronger difference between a brand-name vodka and cheap unlicensed knock-offs with fraudulent tax seals. Unlike other spirits, which are expected to ...

Some essences and herbs need alcohol to be extracted, but not strawberries. Extracts from berries can be made in the pressure cooker, to later turn into syrups or jellies. Here's a step-by-step photos and instructions on how to do it. http://www.hippressurecooking.com/2011/08/blackberry-italian-soda-from-your.html You could then mix the syrup with vodka, ...

You can definitely improve the extract by adding more vanilla beans to the bottle as well as allowing the alcohol more time to extract the vanilla essences from the beans. Most references I have seen say you need to allow at least 2 months with daily agitation to get decent extraction. You can leave the beans in the alcohol as long as you want, but the ...

I can't think of any downsides to adding more. The recipe I use calls for at least 8 beans per cup (more is better). Usually it's recommended to cut the beans in half and scrape out the seeds, adding both the beans and the seeds to the vodka - at least, this is what I do, and I think it probably allows more flavor to be extracted.

I have family in Reunion Island - one top seller of bourbon vanilla. The only vodka they have there is imported, and rhum (or rum if you prefer to spell it that way) is readily available. Personally I would recommend: 150 ml / 5 oz. of neutral alcohol (e.g. rhum, vodka, eau-de-vie) 2 beans 8 weeks (6 min) without light, occasional shake You can also use ...

All vodkas are made from neutral spirits which in turn are made from any fermentable material. Neutral spirits is ethanol that is distilled above 192 proof or 96% alcohol. It is extremely difficult to distill above that with normal stills. The reason that Smirnoff wins is that it is filtered through deactivated charcoal and not carbon. Their charcoal is made ...

Vodka brings out some flavors from the tomatoes that can't be release with water or fat. It acts as a solvent to bring a different profile to the dish. Vodka is recommended because it usually add less other flavor than other alcohol products. If you don't want to add any other flavor, use a pure alcohol product like Everclear - or moonshine.

Vodka may have a flavour. In America and Europe, mass produced vodka is highly filtered so as to remove any impurities that might flavour it. This is ideal if you are going to use the vodka in a cocktail or such where the flavours are unwanted. However, in traditional vodka areas of Eastern Europe and Russia, the drink is made without filtering. Thus the ...