Okay so I am far from a chemist or expert at this sort of thing and this is my first attempt at anything like it. That being said I was browsing the soapmaking and lotions topic this morning and noticed a thread by @HollyRollah called "Making Homemade Bay Rum" ( http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/making-homemade-bay-rum.34274/ ) I would totally suggest reading that before this as it was incredibly interesting. This thread made me want to make my own Aftershave. Now I've done several things different in my concoction the first being the liquors I used. Instead of rum I used Evan Williams for several reasons the main being the only rum in what is an extensive liquor cabinet is Sailor Jerry's and let's be honest that would be a waste. And my choice of vodka was Beauregard Dixie (distilled right here in South Carolina) Now with my choices of alcohol out of the way my next step was a trip to the grocery store to pick up the needed witch hazel and scent addatives. Upon getting there I did not find witch hazel with aloe so I picked up a bottle of that aswell. The rest of the list is as follows: Ginger(small knob as I don't want it to overpower the Aftershave) Jar of whole cloves, Peppercorn, jar of dried Valencia orange peel, rosemary(I already had dried leaves, and the store had no fresh on the stem so I made do with what I had.) Now I added in rough ratios by eye on all except the liquids so I can't tell exacts but I can give rough estimates on how much of the herbs I put. I started with the liquids mixing 4 Oz witch hazel 4 Oz Evan Williams 3 Oz Dixie vodka 2 tablespoons aloe gell Next came the dries and I added these as I liked the scents more of one or the other. 1 1/2 tablespoon rosemary full (but small) knob of ginger sliced not diced (about 2 tablespoons ish) 6-10 cloves whole with bulbs crushed 6-10 peppercorns crushed (I used a small pair of needle nose pliers for the crushing) 4-5 tablespoons tablespoons of orange peel (this is meant to be a very prominent scent as I enjoy it the most) Upon adding all ingredients to a jar that should seal fully unless the band completely sucks and you have to go get a new one tomorrow which really makes the next step messy which is: shake thoroughly. I'm likely to follow HolyRollahs method of shaking daily and I will give you updates and the results when it has awhile to brew. Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk
Noble experiment! With the list of ingredients your juice should be quite flavorful and serve well as a post shave elixer. Kudos on the choice of Bourbon - it's my favorite for the balance of low price/ good with Coca Cola.
Wow. Sounds slightly sticky - but what do I know. I don't know how commercial aftershaves or colognes are made, other than the very rough basic. How are you going to filter it once it's done? cheesecloth? Coffee filter? I am definitely impressed. I just can't see doing it myself. I do hope it comes out well. Should be an interesting aroma once complete - not in a bad way.
As of last I checked (Thursday while I was at home) it wasn't sticky. I'll likely strain it through a fine mesh strainer first to get the big stuff then one or two coffee filters. Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk
Hello any interested in this old chat! I unfortunately lost my phone and login soon after my last update here and figured I would update any interested. This mixture was actually a huge success in my opinion. At first it has a very musty starch smell to it however in a similar way to cologne having the alcohol scent before being applied this goes away to reveal a very pleasant orange clove mixed scent. Due to the size of the batch I still have loads of this mix and use it in my weekly rotation. Hope to be posting a lot more soon! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Irish Buck recipe. 1 1⁄2 oz Irish whiskey 1⁄4 oz Fresh lime juice 2 oz Ginger ale That sounds like both a tasty drink and a good aftershave!
