I made one batch (steeping/macerating now) with a mix of 7x filtered Everclear 151 and 2x filtered Ketel One vodka and was fascinated with how much better the booze smelled after filtering.

Buddha’s hands are very seasonal and I wanted to use the resources out there while I could, hearing that the flavor is phenomenal, so I started another batch today.

This time I started off by reserving 1/4oz of Everclear 151 in a shot glass and then started filtering while cooking dinner. I got 10x filtrations done and then did a taste comparison. HUGE difference in smoothness and finish/aftertaste. The filtered stuff was still pretty heavy handed, but it was much much more palatable, while the unfiltered stuff was very harsh. I didn’t save anything between 1 and 10, so I don’t know how many times are really necessary though.

Anecdotally I can even tell the difference in purity by watching the streams of 151 filter through the brita. In the first pass you can see swirls of impurities (a Schlieren) where the streams meet the “pool.” On the last few passes the liquid is absolutely clear and without any detectable schlieren or any other that crystal clear liquor.

I am many weeks from being able to tell you how it all turns out, but the filtration is certainly a step I am wholeheartedly endorsing.

Thanks again.

Dave

Knowing this, I’ll probably not use Brita filters anymore. What I’ll use in their place is a question mark. The activated carbon filtering from Brewhaus is a fairly expensive system for the casual limoncello maker.

I’ve been following your Brita-filtering method and doing a bit more homework on it.

Have you seen this conversation:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/474541#3267108

where the safety of filtering spirits through that type of filter is discussed? Maybe we ought to ask Brita, but it was concerning enough for me to start wondering.

Thanks again & keep up the great work.

I guess I should start in on another batch to make sure I don’t have a lapse…

I have done some batches with one or two filtrations and some with as many as six filtrations. I can tell you that one or two isn’t as good as 5 or 6, but that’s as fine grained as I can tell you right now. What I haven’t done but would like to do is filter like 10 times and see if that is a real improvement.

On the issue of proof, I usually do it by quality. I filter the lower quality, cheaper liquors more than more expensive ones. I think that generally speaking, filtering decent quality vodka doesn’t result in massive improvements (though still worth doing) but filtering grain alcohol is an absolute must and produces massive taste improvements.

I’m glad you like the site! Stop back and let me know how it goes for you!

Have you done testing yet to see if 4 filtering passes is that much better than 2?

Should you filter lower-proof alcohol more than higher proof stuff?

The filters aren’t that expensive, I suppose, but with the cost of the high-proof vodka it adds up.

(Great site, btw… I was just curious about making limoncello, but all the recipes i found seemed to just be posted by people who hadn’t actually tried them. I wasn’t going to bother, then last week I found your site. Last day of the 3-for-a-dollar lemons was today… zesting begins tonight!)

They even have contraptions to make multiple filtrations easier:
http://cocktails.about.com/od/spirits/gr/vodkastick_rvw.htm

I think how much benefit you get is closely associated with what kind of vodka you use. Using cheap vodka will definitely require filtration, but even then it will likely have off flavors. I use mid-grade vodka, usually 100 proof Smirnoff, and then filter it a minimum of 4 times. I think this is a good compromise of price and taste.

For making Limoncello, what you want is no flavor at all so the infusion can take on the flavor of lemon without other less desirable flavors. One other thing to know is that depending on your sugar/water mixture, Limoncellos made with 100 proof vodka can freeze in the freezer. This has happened to me a lot though I still use it because it’s very hard to get either Everclear or higher proof vodka around here.