Spruce Tip Extract

Updated Jan 10, 2024

This quick, easy, homemade spruce tincture is an effective method for mimicking the the botanicals of gin in your next mocktail or just adding spruce essence to your cooking or beverages

This simple homemade spruce tip extract, or tincture, is the perfect way add botanical extracts to kombucha mocktails, enhancing the aroma and flavor and simulating the presence of gin. It uses alcohol to extract the spruce aroma and flavor from tender, young spruce tips.

Why USe Spruce Tip Extract?

This spruce tip extract is ideal for adding the herbal and resiny notes of spruce to mocktails when you want to simulate the taste and smell of gin such as in my French 75 Kombucha Mocktail or to add these botanical aromatics to any drink.

You could add some to homemade beer to accentuate the piney and resiny character of the hops.

When combined with habanero tincture, which lends a slight/subtle burn simulating the experience of drinking alcohol, a decent imitation of gin can be achieved without using alcohol.

Read more about the science of making great mocktails by using these extracts and tincutures at how to make great mocktails.

Other Homemade Tinctures & Extracts

Here are some other tinctures and extracts that you can make at home to enhance your next mocktail:

Ginger Simple Syrup: A cooked ginger syrup which increases the burn level of the spice compounds in ginger

Habanero Tincture: Ideal for simulating the “burn” of ethanol in non-alcoholic drinks and adding heat to your cooking

Over-Steeped Tea: The astringency of this concentrated tea emulates the drying effect of alcohol

Ingredients For Spruce Tip Extract

Spruce Tips: Spruce trees are evergreen with short, blue-green, needles. The needles are square as opposed to flat which helps identify the tree.

Spruce tips taste and smell like like citrus with a hint of resin, perfect for adding aromatics to mocktails. For this recipe you will want to forage young spruce tips which can only be found in the spring.

The most intense spruce flavor is found in the tips when they are still compact and have not opened. Be judicious when foraging and take tips from various locations around the tree and from separate trees whenever possible.

Vodka: Vodka is my preferred solvent for making tinctures as it has a relatively mild taste and is typically affordable. Alcoholic spirits are typically around 40% alcohol by volume (ABV), which is the ideal concentration for extracting the the pepper’s flavors and capsaicin (the heat) as well as tannins, water-soluble glycosides, and certain alkaloids.

Alternative: Use Vinegar: If you wish to make a completely alcohol free version of the spruce tip extract, distilled apple cider vinegar is the next best choice.

Why Alcohol for A Spruce Tip Extract?

Alcohol is commonly used to make tinctures for several reasons:

First, alcohol is an excellent solvent that can extract a wide range of active compounds from the plant material meaning an herbal tincture made with alcohol can contain a higher concentration of active ingredients than other solvents, such as water.

Second, alcohol acts as a preservative which helps to extend the shelf life of the tincture. The high alcohol content inhibits the growth of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that can cause spoilage and degradation of the tincture.

Finally, alcohol is easily and readily available, making it a convenient solvent for creating tinctures. It is also a relatively inexpensive option compared to other solvents.

It is important to note that the use of alcohol may not be suitable for everyone, especially for those who abstain from alcohol due to personal or health reasons. In such cases, alternative solvents, such as apple cider vinegar, can be used to make herbal tinctures.

Generally kombucha mocktails only require a few drops of spruce tip extract to achieve the desired effect so the alcohol contribution is negligible.

How to Make Spruce Tip Extract

Making spruce tip extract is a simple process and the biggest thing required is patience. The ideal time of year to make the extract is during the spring, when young tender spruce tips are readily available.

Here are the basic steps to create a herbal / resiny spruce tip extract:

Gather Tips: Forage young, tender spruce tips

Clean: Rinse spruce tips with clean water

Dry: Place tips on a bar towel or parchment and allow them to dry

Steep: Combine spruce tips and vodka in glass container and steep

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer

Spruce Tip Extract Recipe

Yield: 1/2 cup • Active time: 30 minutes • Total time: about a month

Loaded with spruce botanical essence for your next mocktail

Ingredients:

3/4 cup fresh, young spruce tips

1/2 cup 80 proof vodka, 100ml

Instructions:

Gather 1/2 cup of tender, young spruce tips, wash them thoroughly, and place them on parchment paper or a kitchen towel to dry a bit.
Place spruce tips in a clean jar and cover with vodka
Cover the jar with a tight-fitting lid and place in cool/dark location
Steep for 4-6 weeks, checking mixture weekly and gently shaking
Use a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer to filter the ginger syrup into a glass container. I like to use medicine dropper bottles like these
Store in a cool dark place for up to 2 years