The League of Brewers

Spirit Flavours & Essences

Explore spirit flavours and essences for creating whiskey, gin, rum, vodka, liqueur and other classic profiles at home.

Questions & answers

What do I mix a flavour essence with, and does the bottle size tell me how much it makes?

An essence is a flavouring, not a finished spirit. You mix it with home-distilled spirit or store-bought vodka. Bottle sizes differ between brands, so compare what each bottle is designed to make rather than its millilitres: a 50ml Still Spirits Top Shelf Kentucky Bourbon essence is designed for 2.25L of spirit to make 3 x 750ml bottles, the same for a 28ml Essencia Kentucky Bourbon essence which also makes 2.25 litres of spirit. Liqueur essences are used with a liqueur base, such as the Still Spirits Top Shelf Liqueur Base A, which adds sweetness and thickness. You mix in the alcohol amount stated on the essence bottle, whisk in the base, add the essence and top up with water to 1.125L.