# Recipe comments - pandan lemongrass



## Stressbaby (Nov 28, 2012)

I have a buddy who sent me pandan plants which I should be able to grow in the greenhouse. I already have an abundance of lemongrass. I knew zippo about pandan, but did some research on the web. I didn't find a pandan wine recipe, but lemongrass/pandan is quite a popular tea-like drink. Among other recipes, I found this recipe. Here are ingredients:


> 2 pandan leaves (screwpine leaves), fresh or defrosted
> 1/2 cup dried lemongrass, if dried is not available substitute with 1 fresh stalk
> 5 cups water
> 2 large lemons juiced
> honey, to taste


I want to make a pandan-lemongrass wine. Here is what I've come up with, I'd be interested in any thoughts.

6-12 pandan leaves
4 stalks lemongrass (most recipes call for about twice as many pandan leaves as lemongrass stalks)
1 gallon water
Juice of 2 lemons (alt calamondin juice or lime juice)
Acid as needed
1/4t tannin
1t pectic
1t yeast nutrient

Simmer pandan and lemongrass for ~20 minutes. Strain off the liquid. Add tannin, lemon juice, acid to pH 3.4, yeast nutrient. When cool, add pectic. After 12 hours add yeast starter, then after that, usual care.

Watcha think?


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## Deezil (Nov 28, 2012)

Sounds interesting but i know Zilch about lemongrass or pandan

What i do know, is that fermentation will change the original flavors - this'll add complexity to the wine but may not be like the tea you're comparing it to

Because of this, you could consider adding some metheglin-type techniques towards the end of the process - this would entail a second round of the "simmering" to release the flavors within the herbs, to makes the "tea"... Then take that "Tea" and make it into a "concentrate" by continuing through low-heating, to remove a majority of the water and thereby condensing the flavors... A Flavor-Pack of sorts, to reintegrate the original flavors from the "Tea" that you'd probably hope to see in the finished wine...

Another thought, that kind of contradicts my previous paragraph (but i know nothing of these two herbs, so im supplying both options) is that heat changes the flavors found in fruits and herbs - so if making a tea into a concentrate doesnt do it for you and it comes out with odd flavors or something - maybe burnt, or cooked flavors - that you might consider just dropping in prepared pieces of the herbs right into the wine during aging, to help bring back those original flavors, kind of like one does with oak or vanilla beans - and rack off when the time/taste is appropriate..

Other than that, i'd say give it a whirl and keep us posted..
And dont forget some


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## Stressbaby (Nov 29, 2012)

Thanks Deezil!

The recipes for drinks I have seen mostly steep the pandan, so I really like that first idea.

As soon as this stuff starts growing, I'll get this one started and post back.


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