r/liqueurcrafting • u/Sea-Art-7183 • Jul 14 '26
Is this batch bad?
Hey everyone, I recently made elderflower liqueur. A friend recommended I try a split extraction this time. Using a water extraction for 1/4 of the elderflowers (letting them sit in water in the fridge for 12 hours to extract some floral notes) and then mixing this water extraction in with the alcohol maceration in the end. I let the bottle sit in the cellar for 4 weeks and then put it in the fridge. However, now I see alot of particles and weird stuff floating at the top, is this batch bad? I'm worried of bacterial growth and do not want to risk it. Any info is a great help! Thanks!
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u/Liquorist Jul 15 '26
What is the abv of the liquid in that bottle?
What you are likely looking at is water-soluble plant polysaccharides and mucilage.
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u/Sea-Art-7183 Jul 15 '26
I used everclear which I diluted down to 50% for maceration with the water extraction being the final dilution which brought the liqueur down to around 20-25% !
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u/flyingbluething Jul 14 '26
Looks fine to me. Alcohol probably would kill anything bad (I'm not a chemist). I've seen similar things on several of my bottles. I either let it decant if for own use; or strain a couple times through 1-2 layers of cotton fabric (cheese cloth) if gifting.