# 5 citrus flavor blend using juices or juice concentrates?



## CheerfulHeart (Aug 23, 2014)

Once upon a time, Minute Maid had a juice cocktail blend called Five Alive. The flavor was always a favorite of mine, though the drink itself was way too sweet for my palate. I would love to make a wine using those flavors (orange, tangerine, lemon, lime, grapefruit). Would this work made with fruit juices, or would juice concentrates be a better start?  Or just make a batch of lemon Skeeter Pee and add unsweetened KoolAid powders? This is a future project and is in the "creating" stage. Any thoughts as to how much sugar to use with the fruit juices or concentrates? I plan to make a 3-gallon batch for my test batch. Sorry for the flood of questions, just trying to think of them all at once. The flavor profile may not be fancy but it'll do for home consumption.


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## djrockinsteve (Aug 24, 2014)

Find the flavor you like then ferment that. I remember 5 Alive. Good stuff. Whatever would be easier, frozen concentrate is my guess where individual juices would allow you to tweet the flavor. 

Confided the cost too.


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## Ctmaro (Nov 20, 2014)

I'm so glad I ran across this post! I've been wanting to do a different Skeeter Pee. So, I'm going to follow the SP recipe, but use lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, lime, and orange juices in equal portions for both lemon juice additions.


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## CheerfulHeart (Nov 20, 2014)

Ctmaro said:


> I'm so glad I ran across this post! I've been wanting to do a different Skeeter Pee. So, I'm going to follow the SP recipe, but use lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, lime, and orange juices in equal portions for both lemon juice additions.



Please post how it turns out, I would love to know!  I thought about the equal portions of the 5 flavor juices but I am a complete newbie and haven't had the confidence to make this Skeeter Pee variation.


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## Ctmaro (Nov 20, 2014)

I've made several different variations of SP from straight lime, orange, grapefriut, 2 different tropical versions, not to mention all the Dragon's Bloods I've done. All but the orange turn out pretty good. Friends and family really love them.

A "slurry" from another type of wine works best to get the fermentation going, but I have also made a yeast starter with good luck. The real key is to do an invert sugar. It depends on what I have going or not when I'm ready to start this one.

I will probably tart this one in 2 to 3 weeks, and will post as I go.

Mark




Sent from my iPad using Wine Making


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## Ctmaro (Nov 25, 2014)

I mixed the ingredients tonight. I am going to let it sit for a couple of days to gas off the preservatives, which I've found to be the key to getting a fermentation going with Skeeter Pee.

I have 2 gallons of Rose Hip going, and am planning on using the slurry for Five A Live SP.

Here's my recipe:

20 C sugar + 10 C H2O + 1/3 C lemon juice
24 oz Lemon juice (16 now, 8 later)
24 oz Orange (16 now, 8 later)
24 oz Lime (16 now, 8 later)
24 oz Tangerine (16 now, 8 later)
24 oz Grapefruit (16 now, 8 later))
1 tsp tannin
8 tsp. yeast nutrient (4 now, 4 later)
3 tsp. yeast energizer (1 1/2 now, 1 1/2 later)
2 tsp. pectic enzyme
Fill to 6 gallons water
Slurry from Rose HIP
6 C sugar final sweeting

I was shooting for 6 gallons finished, but stopped at 6 gallons starting with 1.08 SG.

I'll keep you posted.

Mark


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## Ctmaro (Dec 1, 2014)

At the juice, and nutrient addition point. Smell good so far. I plan to let it ferment dry before going to secondary like Dave's Dragons Blood.


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## Ctmaro (Dec 13, 2014)

*five alive wine*

Went to secondary 1 week ago adding Kmeta, Sorbate, and Sparkolloid. 

So far its not clearing as well as I expected. I have had trouble with Lime SP clearing as well as others I have done. I still have 1 more week, but think I may have to either give it more time, or another dose of Sparkolloid.

It tastes good given I went completely dry (1.0 SG) with before racking.


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## ramsis23 (Dec 13, 2014)

A few months ago I made a citrus wine using fresh grapefruit, lime, lemon, and orange. I also added some concentrate citrus as well. I really enjoy it though it doesn't taste like five a live (no tangerine). Mine was troublesome to clear too. I ended up adding a fair amount of pectic enzyme


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## Ctmaro (Dec 14, 2014)

ramsis23 said:


> A few months ago I made a citrus wine using fresh grapefruit, lime, lemon, and orange. I also added some concentrate citrus as well. I really enjoy it though it doesn't taste like five a live (no tangerine). Mine was troublesome to clear too. I ended up adding a fair amount of or tic enzyme



Thanks for the response. I only used 2 teaspoons for what is going to be 5 gallons. So, I think tonight I'll add another 2 or 3 teaspoons for the next week to see if that helps it clear.

Mark


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## Ctmaro (Dec 27, 2014)

So, I set my carboy in the garrage, after the Sparkolloid, for about 3 weeks. Its been in the middle 40's. It cleared up nicely.

Yeaterday, I sweetened it using 6 cups of sugar for 6 gallons and 1 L. It tastes, so far, like a mild, slightly sweet, 5 Alive with a very slight alcohol edge. Much better that the straight orange I tried last year.

Will be bottling on or about 1/11/15, and should have some pictures for you then.

Mark


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## Ctmaro (Jan 10, 2015)

Ok, its done and bottled!



The taste is difficult to discribe. I taste mostly grapefruit, tangerine, and maybe a touch of orange. The lime and lemon don't contribute to the taste, but do give the nescessary acid needed in most wines.

If I were to do this again, I would increase the lime and lemon juice. Those are tastes I remember from the original Five Alive I don't taste in the wine. Perhaps, the additional juice should be at the 1.05 SG addition?


Mark


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## ramsis23 (Jan 12, 2015)

I would say mine turned out similar, (without the tangerine.) mostly grapefruit and orange.


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## CheerfulHeart (Jan 18, 2015)

Mark, thank you so much for creating this SP variation and writing the updates! It sure helps me to see how it went for someone with more experience than I, and it gives me a bit of confidence to try it myself.


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## Ctmaro (Jan 19, 2015)

I have done:

3 Lime SP
4 Original SP
2 Tropical (pineapple, banana, & mango)
1 Festival SP (mango, papaya, pineapple, & strawberry found @ Costco) 
1 Orange SP

With the exception of the the orange SP, they tasted better than this 1!

Good Luck with your venture.

Mark

PS - Check out Danger Dave's Dragon's Blood! I just made a all Raspberry variation, and its to die for!


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## Ava_Sinclair (Jul 1, 2017)

I read somewhere (cant remember where) that citrus juices could not be used for wine making. Apparently, that is false since you guys are having success. Five Alive is available at the stores where I live. I'd like to make one using pineapple or mango seeing as how citrus is a go.


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