HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN EXTRACT
By Anthony Wood
One of the things a lot of bait makers use is extracts and herb extracts are a fantastic additive to have in your armoury. So how do you go about making a good extract?
In this article I will show you how to make a good quality extract on an alcohol base. The first thing you will need is 80 proof vodka this ensures a good mix of water and alcohol in the finished extract.
There are all sorts calculations to try and work out the best quantities to use to create the best extract but basically you want 1oz of flowers, leaves, etc and 2oz of vodka.
When you are picking your flowers pick the whole flower including petals, bud and a small 2cm section of the stem. Once you have weighed out your flowers tip all of them into a jar with an airtight lid.
Pour your vodka over the flowers making sure that every piece of the flowers gets covered in vodka. Put the lid onto the jar securely and put the jar aside in a dark place making a note of the date you made it.
Leave the flowers and vodka to mix for 6 weeks making sure to give the jar a good shake twice a day to help the process.
After 6 weeks strain your mixture through a cheesecloth making sure to give it a good squeeze to get as much extract liquid through as possible.
If you want to make your extract even stronger simply repeat the above process and top up with a small amount of vodka if needed.
Now you can either pour your extract back into the same jar or if you can get them you can pour it into those little essential oil jars. Store in a dark cupboard or in the fridge.
The strength does vary but an average batch will produce an extract that you can use at 5-7ml per 16oz of base mix.
Don’t forget that you can use fruit, fresh herbs, spices or other flowers such as dandelions, roses, lavender, chrysanthemum, etc.
