How to make it:
Start by gently pressing down with the tip of your knife, going down the skin of the bean, opening it up without piercing it all the way through the back skin; you just want to expose the beans. Slice the stalk in half to shorten the stems.

Place the beanstalks inside of a jar and repeat. For every 4 oz of alcohol, you'll need a minimum of one beanstalk - the more the merrier.

Fill up your jar, cap it, and store in a cool dry place for 4-6 months before using; 9 months for a larger jar. The color will darken as the taste becomes richer. Give it a gentle shake every now and again.

The alcohol preserves the vanilla beans, so make sure the beans are submerged at all times to prevent them from spoiling. Just keep adding more ingredients back in as you use it, adding more alcohol and more vanilla beanstalks continuously to keep the supply up and strong.

You can choose any alcohol you like, but vodka will give the cleanest flavor. Vanilla Beans can be found at your larger grocery store, spice store, or I've had luck with my local Costco.

I made vanilla for Christmas gifts to my friends and my kids' teachers in these 4oz bottles. Such a fun gift to make and receive! This a gift that keeps on giving because they can keep adding to the same jar over and over.