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00:00And there it goes, I'm just going to look away this time on master distiller sugar bread
00:12and yeast.
00:13It's all you need.
00:14Grain sugar and yeast.
00:16It's no coincidence.
00:18The basic components for making liquor are the same ingredients found in bread pastries
00:23and desserts.
00:24We ain't never seen nobody use vanilla wafers for vanilla flavor.
00:29For three resourceful distillers, there is no tastier challenge than applying their skills
00:37to turn leftover baked goods.
00:39Tastes like a cherry donut.
00:40Does it really?
00:41Into high proof booze.
00:43That right there would sell all day long.
00:46With special guest judge Millie Pear Tree.
00:48You guys want to make some good stuff for me today?
00:51Something sweet with a little bit of heat?
00:53Only the best jar.
00:55You know what that jar tasted like?
00:56A winner takes the cake.
00:58You're the next master distiller, my friend, congratulations.
01:12Welcome to master distiller, y'all.
01:14I don't think I've ever welcomed three contestants to a sweeter contest.
01:21You're going to take this dough and pastries over here and turn it into booze.
01:27The winner not only will get unlimited bragging rights, but you're going to get a limited
01:33run of your spirit at Two Trees Distilling Company.
01:39Just like liquor, everything you see on these tables over here started from grain.
01:46Grains like wheat, barley, and corn are standard components of making whiskey.
01:53Savvy distillers throughout history have discovered they can access the same fermentable
01:58ingredients faster by mashing in breads, cakes, and rolls made from cereal grains.
02:05As early as the 16th century, Russian distillers used stale bread to make a type of vodka called
02:13bread wine.
02:16Today, rye bread is used by some novice distillers as a shortcut to making rye whiskey.
02:23But with convenience also comes a challenge.
02:29While cakes and sweet rolls contain additional sugar that yeast readily turns into alcohol,
02:35the nuts, fats, and proteins can impede fermentation and introduce off flavors, making it a true
02:42test of a distiller's skill to turn complex pastries into great tasting liquor.
02:49You got some of the finest pastries here in the world to make you mash with.
02:53Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
02:55What?
02:56Hang on.
02:57I got a surprise for you.
02:58What do you mean you got a surprise?
02:59It's a big surprise while you're here.
03:01We've got three judges at the table already.
03:04I can't let y'all do a baked liquor competition without some of the best baked goods around.
03:10Mom!
03:13What you hollering about?
03:16How'd you get your mama here already?
03:18My mama makes some of the best carrot cakes known to man.
03:22And we serve them every day at our restaurant.
03:24Son, I didn't know these was going to be used to make liquor.
03:27I thought y'all was going to eat them.
03:29That's what I thought.
03:31I tell you what, Mama.
03:32We'll sacrifice one to some liquor, and we're going to eat that other one.
03:36That's what I'm talking about.
03:37Good to see you, Mama T.
03:39Behave yourself.
03:40Thank you, Mama.
03:41Well, you know, they mashing in with my mama's carrot cake.
03:44I got to stay here to make sure it's done right, you know?
03:47Well, we'll let you sit through the mashing.
03:51All right, guys.
03:54Time for y'all to go over to the table there and pick some sweet stuff and make that mash.
03:58Nate, you're up first.
04:00You get two minutes.
04:01Your time starts now.
04:03Good luck.
04:04Get with it.
04:06I got to try this.
04:08Don't drop that.
04:09Boy, that's valuable stuff right there.
04:11I'm Nate Newhall from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
04:13I'm 50 years old.
04:16I'm a bon vivant, a lover of life, a surfing cowboy riding the wave of high vibration.
04:23Best thing I ever did in my life was become a Navy SEAL.
04:26A lot of hard work, but the camaraderie and the friendships are worth a lifetime.
04:32I want to get out of the Navy SEALs.
04:35I started to look for something different to do.
04:38I kept bees, brewed beer, finally landed on distilling as the most romantic thing that I could think of.
04:47And I went whole hog into it.
04:48I built a distillery and we started to experiment and make products.
04:53Lo and behold, we came out with several double golds at some of the most prestigious competitions.
04:58Probably go with some of these buns.
05:00I tell you, I think this is the coolest competition.
05:02Knowing how to distill, knowing how to read proof, knowing how to taste profile, there's so many elements to it.
05:08I don't even know if I can fit any more on here.
05:10Having these guys taste my spirit is a dream come true.
05:15All right, I can't do anything else.
05:17You're in good shape.
05:18Jason, you got two minutes. Get all the goodies you want.
05:21Your two minute starts now. Good luck.
05:25All right, Jason, you're wasting a lot of time getting that basket.
05:28I mean, come on now.
05:29Working with baked goods, you have a lot of different options.
05:32Whatever, you know, the flavor profile you're looking for, you can find it in your bread.
05:36All right, going for more regular bread. I can't say that's a bad idea.
05:39Definitely was going for the rye.
05:41And then a few things to just sweeten it up, like some donuts, cupcakes.
05:45My name is Jason Bartolozzi. I am 45 and I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
05:51I am a tattoo artist, a stay-at-home dad, and I pride myself on creativity.
05:56Everything about me is creative.
05:57I'm an artist. I'm a musician.
06:00I love to do anything that is artistic.
06:04And that's making liquor.
06:06I have been distilling for 15 plus years.
06:10So what got me into distilling was a lot of the outlaw lifestyle.
06:14Like, if it's illegal, I like to do it.
06:17I like to make a lot of liquor.
06:20Cream cakes, that's about the last thing I'd want in my mask.
06:23Gotta have a little bit of everything.
06:24If I win Master Distillers, I'm probably going to fall on the floor and cry like a baby,
06:28and that's the honest to God's truth.
06:30I've worked really hard to get here.
06:32It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.
06:34All right, I'm good.
06:36And you finished in a minute and ten seconds.
06:39So you're in good shape.
06:41Last but not least, Katie, your two-minute starts now.
06:45Good luck.
06:47All right, Katie, what are you going to go for?
06:49Definitely not nuts.
06:51I'm choosing what I can pull sugar out of.
06:52Something that maybe has a good starch conversion in it.
06:55All right, yeah, so there you go.
06:57Now you're wasting time.
06:59My name is Katie Black.
07:01I like the color.
07:03I am 30 years old.
07:05I currently live in Asheville, North Carolina.
07:07And this is where I work.
07:09I am a brewer, winemaker, and cider maker here in Asheville,
07:12but I used to work at a distillery as well locally.
07:15I was fortunate enough to go to a local trade college for a distillation degree.
07:18Our education went from whiskey mashes all the way through
07:22to different traditional styles around the world.
07:25There is such a beauty in taking something from one form
07:30and completely changing what it turns out to be.
07:34I would like to think that my time in the industry
07:38and my passion is what's gotten me here.
07:41All right, there's doughnuts. All right.
07:43I hope that I can walk away with knowledge from my competitors
07:45and from the judges, but don't get it twisted.
07:48I am definitely out to win.
07:51All right. I'm good with that.
07:53You're officially okie-doke.
07:55All right, guys.
07:57You're going to build us a delicious mash
07:59out of everything you picked up there.
08:02You're going to have one hour to make your mash,
08:05and we're going to give you five days for it to ferment.
08:09We'll come back, we'll test it,
08:11and we'll see who made the most alcohol.
08:13Whoever has the highest ABV
08:16will get first pick of steels to do their run.
08:20Your one hour starts now.
08:23Good luck. Get with it, guys.
08:26Distillers will use their baked goods
08:29and any sugar, enzymes, and yeast they brought from home
08:33to build a mash that must produce enough alcohol
08:36to last them throughout the entire competition.
08:40What all are you adding in there?
08:41Sugar, bread, and yeast. That's all you need.
08:43Cane sugar and bread?
08:45That's it.
08:47Jason, I noticed a lot of rye bread.
08:50I want to get a good rye base, I think.
08:52That's going to be a good start for where I'm trying to go.
08:55I want to get some rye flavors
08:57and then sweeten it up like some donuts, cupcakes,
08:59something I've never done before.
09:01Katie, what sugar are you working with?
09:04So I got a couple of brown options.
09:06One of them is going to hopefully be more caramel.
09:08The other one will be more molasses style.
09:09Yeah, yeah.
09:11It looks like you got some molasses, huh?
09:13Yeah, going for kind of a rum spirit.
09:15I chose some rum yeast
09:17and I added some molasses and brown sugar,
09:19hamburger buns, cupcakes, donuts.
09:22Mmm!
09:24Rye bread and Tickles Mom's carrot cake.
09:27All right, here it is.
09:29That's a damn shame, ain't it?
09:31I am going to give her the nuts on top.
09:33No offense to y'all.
09:35I don't want the nuts because of the oils.
09:37See, he's smart.
09:39He's taking that buttercream icing off there
09:41because he knows that it could give him an off flavor.
09:43Here you are.
09:45I'm going to look away, Nate.
09:47I'm just going to look away.
09:49Look away, everyone.
09:51And there it goes.
09:53Mmm!
09:55What is that?
09:57Enzymes.
09:59I'm hoping it'll convert carbohydrates into some symbols.
10:01I'm mashing in the rye loaves that I could,
10:03the harder breads and baguette
10:04and cookies, donuts, and the hamburger buns.
10:06That's 1,000% for flavor.
10:08Katie, tell me how you're feeling
10:10about that stew you're building over there.
10:12Um, I feel pretty good about it.
10:14We do a lot of seltzer yeast at work,
10:16and I wanted to experiment with it
10:18on the distilling side to still get the same conversion rates
10:20or try to.
10:22Seltzer yeast is a lot like turbo yeast.
10:25It can handle a little bit more stress,
10:27and turbo yeast does have an off flavor sometimes.
10:30And for me, I wanted to have a neutral spirit.
10:32I wanted to have a neutral flavor.
10:34I wanted to have a clean flavor.
10:36You might want to consider getting your mash in your barrels
10:38because you got two minutes to do so.
10:40Good idea.
10:42This is going to take too long.
10:48Everything should be broke down real well in there.
10:52Yeah, they're getting their cardio in.
10:55I've never mashed in any baked goods before.
10:58This is a new one for me, but I'm hoping for the best.
11:00All right, guys.
11:0210, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
11:12Second to spare.
11:14We'll take care of your yeast.
11:16Y'all head on out, cool off, rest up a little bit.
11:19We'll see y'all in five days if this mash is ready to run.
11:31It's been five days since you turned your baked goods into mash.
11:36You need to bring us one jaw of your finished mash.
11:41Whoever has the highest ABV in their mash,
11:45that's going to put you in the number one spot for your steel pick.
11:49You got two minutes to strain us off some mash.
11:52We want no solids in it whatsoever.
11:55That time starts now.
11:57Good luck and get with it, guys.
11:59Smells like alcohol. That's a good sign.
12:02I can smell it over here.
12:04I don't think this is going to be a clean transfer, but we'll try our best.
12:08My mash, it's exactly where I wanted it to be.
12:11It looked great.
12:13It smelled like the fermentation had taken off really well.
12:17My mash looks okay.
12:19It had a nice, dark color to it.
12:21It smelled really good.
12:23I think it's ready to go.
12:24My mash looks okay.
12:26It had a nice, dark color to it.
12:28It smelled really, really good.
12:30But Tickle's Mom's Cake has a lot of butter in it,
12:33so I don't want the oil from there.
12:35I had a concern about that for sure.
12:38Get to one minute mark, guys.
12:42I smelled it. I'm getting right with cherries in it.
12:45Pastries and cupcakes.
12:48Katie's going to have a full jaw first.
12:50Fifteen seconds, guys.
12:52Nate's is a totally different color than everybody else's.
12:59Five, four, three, two, one.
13:05Timmy, get us a vial full of mash there.
13:08We're going to do an alcohol by volume calculation on it.
13:11We're going to find out how much of these sugars has converted over to alcohol.
13:15Distillers use a Brex hydrometer to measure the relative density of a liquid.
13:19Otherwise known as specific gravity.
13:22Because alcohol is less dense than sugar,
13:25by comparing the original gravity of the mash when it was first made
13:29to the final gravity after fermentation,
13:32they can calculate how much sugar has been converted to alcohol.
13:37Jason?
13:39I don't know what he put in it.
13:41There you go.
13:43Put everything in the kitchen sink, I guess.
13:45There you go.
13:47You're aiming for no more sugars left.
13:49Everything's been converted.
13:51It doesn't always work out that way.
13:53All right, Katie.
13:55She's totally different.
13:57Totally different aroma there.
14:01The only thought I had, knowing that I needed to get the high UVB,
14:05was that still choice.
14:07Getting that still is going to dictate a lot of the rest of these runs.
14:10Moving on to Nate.
14:12It wasn't the clearest mash that I've ever made.
14:15You know, I had some questions on how good it was.
14:17I do think we have a clear winner.
14:22The way it stands, guys, Katie,
14:25your potential ABV in that mash is 10.5.
14:29Going to put you in the number one spot.
14:31Great job.
14:33Jason, 8.93.
14:35You just left a little sugar behind.
14:37Nate, you're bringing up the caboose at 8.53,
14:41but I don't count that color out.
14:43That's gorgeous.
14:44I was shooting for 10 to 11%,
14:47so this was right on the mark for what I wanted to happen.
14:50This is an elimination round.
14:52Pick your stills carefully.
14:54First, you have a pot still with a thumper.
14:58It's great for adding ingredients for flavor,
15:00but it's going to take you a bit longer to get it up to running temperature.
15:04Second, you have a pot still with a line arm,
15:08meaning less reflux and more flavor,
15:10but also more oils, so be careful.
15:12Lastly, we have a column still,
15:14which is great for continuous distillation.
15:17It will also up your proof,
15:19but it can strip away some of your flavor.
15:22Katie, what's your pick?
15:25I'm going to go with the thumper.
15:27Simple and concise.
15:29Jason, what's going to be your pick of the litter?
15:31I think I'm going to go with the line arm.
15:33Good choice.
15:35Nate, which one are you going to pick, buddy?
15:37Oh, I'm definitely going with the column still today.
15:40Excellent choice.
15:42You've got four hours.
15:44Get your stills over there, get them set up, run us some liquor.
15:47That four-hour starts now.
15:50For the elimination spirit run,
15:53distillers must produce a clear, flavorful spirit
15:57at a minimum of 80 proof.
16:00The final two will continue on to flavor their spirit
16:04and turn it into a top-shelf sipping cream.
16:07Ha-ha!
16:09I came in third, so I got the column still.
16:13Not afraid of the column still.
16:15When it comes to distillation,
16:17the distiller is far more important than the still.
16:21You're just trying to get as much alcohol out as fast as you can.
16:28I wanted to get my mash into the pot still,
16:32and I also wanted to get it into the thumper.
16:34This thumper's a lot bigger than I was thinking it was going to be.
16:36Oh, she's really charging that thumper.
16:40Here we go.
16:42First time in my life I ever ran legal.
16:44Welcome.
16:46It's horrible, I don't like it.
16:48I feel like I'm doing something right.
16:53All right, guys, you're halfway there.
16:55Two hours in, two hours left.
17:01We got some booze.
17:06There you go.
17:08We're finally getting some action going on here.
17:09You know, with the column still,
17:11it can take away some of the flavor
17:13because it's not going straight from the pot into the condenser,
17:16but I still pulled quite a bit of flavors off,
17:18those rye and those rummy flavors.
17:22We should be getting something here soon.
17:24We're at 160.
17:27I got drips coming on over here.
17:31Whew!
17:33When they'd start coming out, it was cherry.
17:35That straight tastes like a cherry donut.
17:37Does it really?
17:39I'm in trouble.
17:41The one downside of choosing the thumper
17:43was mine's going to take twice as long to heat up.
17:46You'll catch on that one.
17:48Yeah, yeah, I knew that this one was going to pop off last, so.
17:51Now it's really going.
17:53I plan on getting as much alcohol out of the mash as possible.
17:57Got to taste it.
18:03It's good.
18:05I'm going against people that know their stuff,
18:07so right then and there it clicked.
18:09You better figure it out and bring it.
18:11Katie, you're running.
18:13Hell, yeah.
18:15I'm at 175.
18:17That's about where I want to be on this jar.
18:19My strategy with this first run
18:21is to get as many jars as I can for second distillation
18:24if I was to move forward.
18:26You know, they're all excited about going to the next round,
18:29but the catch is you've got to get to the next round.
18:32That's the catch.
18:34Jason, where are you at in your run?
18:36I'm on jar, I think this is jar five, six, yeah.
18:39So you're getting back to horse then?
18:41Yep.
18:42Yeah? Is it tasting good?
18:43It is.
18:44You're not going to add water to it or nothing?
18:46No, it's going to be all moonshine.
18:47All moonshine.
18:48All right, well, good luck.
18:50All right.
18:51All right, Katie.
18:53You happy with your flavor that's coming out?
18:55I'm really, really happy with what I'm going to give you guys.
18:57Now, how is your proofing skills?
18:59This is jar three.
19:00Jar three?
19:01Yep.
19:02Okay.
19:03140-ish.
19:05Or no, I guess 120.
19:07That's high.
19:08Yeah, that's high.
19:09All right, good luck.
19:12All right, Nate.
19:13You've got a lot of jars here.
19:15I'm just trying to get as much booze out of this tank as I possibly can,
19:18so I have more to work with when I do a finishing run.
19:21Because you're only going to turn in one jar.
19:23That's true.
19:24All right, good luck.
19:25Thank you very much.
19:26All right, ladies and gentlemen, five minutes left.
19:33All right, that's out.
19:35We're going to see if I can not give something too hot to the judges.
19:40At this point, it's going to be a little higher proof than I'm used to.
19:44I think I got a good chance of coming up on top.
19:47My goal is just to get as much flavor, and I got a lot.
19:51I'm getting a lot of cherry notes in there.
19:54I only got room for my A game, and one of you got to go home.
19:5710, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
20:10All right, guys.
20:11We got to head out and taste a little liquor.
20:14Unfortunately, on the next run, somebody's going to be absent.
20:28Well, gentlemen.
20:29Half-baked.
20:30They made this liquor out of baked goods, loaves of bread, hamburger buns, hot dog buns.
20:36Nate's got a whole carrot cake in there.
20:38A whole lot of sugar in there.
20:39Made 21 jars, and this is number 15.
20:43He was the lightest on ABV.
20:47I'm sure from about jar 12 on down, he didn't really have a lot of appreciable alcohol in there.
20:54And there's one that don't have any in it either.
20:57Are you planning on reusing a lot of your jars for the second run?
21:00If I make it, yeah.
21:01I'm going to use everything.
21:06Oh, it's got a flat taste to it.
21:10There's no alcohol there.
21:11I don't know what I'm getting on the nose.
21:14It's sweet.
21:15It's real sweet.
21:16Oh, it's flatter than a gander's arch.
21:18As flat as flat, yeah.
21:21It's got a great nose.
21:22I mean, it's got a caramely, buttery note there.
21:25I mean, that really makes you want to take a drink.
21:28I am really surprised how low that proof is.
21:31That's jar backage.
21:33He should have bought us jar 10.
21:3410 would have been the perfect medium.
21:39Katie, she has a real pretty jar.
21:43Nice looking, clean jar.
21:46Oh, she brought some favors to the party there.
21:50Oh, yeah.
21:51The yeast and the nutrients that I used,
21:53I did want it to be more of a clarified spirit.
21:59Yeah, she had appropriate ingredients.
22:01She had cookies.
22:02She had alcohol, too.
22:04Fried bread.
22:05Took your breath.
22:07And you know, she had an olive fried bread.
22:09I think I'm getting the olive.
22:10But it really, it snaps up front.
22:12And it's good on proof, too, ain't it, Tim?
22:17That's got some power.
22:21It's all up front.
22:23That's 115 proof or better.
22:25That's a good drink right there.
22:28That's kind of got a wheat nose on it.
22:30I guess she had a lot more hamburger buns
22:32than she did anything else.
22:33I mean, you know you're drinking a drink of damn liquor.
22:35Yeah.
22:36Yeah, that draw is sellable right now as is.
22:39Here's number three.
22:41Jason.
22:45Give him 85, 90, something like that.
22:48I wanted some of the donuts and some of the pastry flavors,
22:51but a cherry just kind of took it over.
22:56It's like a cobbler.
22:57It's real, real mellow and sweet.
23:02I would say that's well balanced.
23:04Jason's, he didn't do a lot of blending,
23:06so I don't worry if any.
23:08That thing is on the money.
23:10That's 85 proof jar of really nice.
23:15It's more pleasant on the palate than it is the nose.
23:18Yeah.
23:19I could sell that all day long.
23:21All three of them taste good.
23:22Yeah.
23:23I know who's going home.
23:25Yeah.
23:26Absolutely.
23:27Let's go back and tell them the news.
23:40We're looking at three top shelf distillers right here,
23:43but unfortunately we can't name a new master distiller
23:46if we don't eliminate them.
23:48Mark.
23:49I'm just going to start with you, Nate.
23:52You ran a damn tanker truck load of liquor.
23:5621 jars.
23:57Yeah, but I was deep in details then.
23:59You know, that's crazy, but flavor was really, really good.
24:04It was soft and easy on the nose and the palate.
24:07Right.
24:08Excellent.
24:09Yours had more flavor than all three of them,
24:12but we've got to balance that alcohol out.
24:14We've got to have some backbone in it.
24:16Katie, I think you took a big chance of doing the doubler.
24:20You did come out with a higher proof,
24:22and I think that may have robbed your flavor a little bit too.
24:27Katie Bug, I think that you managed all of your ingredients
24:31extremely well, and you ran a really good jar of liquor.
24:37Jason, fine job.
24:40You could really pull out a lot of the notes on the nose.
24:43You know, I found it to have a real good earthy note.
24:46I think that kind of balanced out all that sweet.
24:48Just an all-in-all fine jar.
24:50Appreciate it.
24:51Jason, a lot of times if you get too much flavor,
24:54you lose your alcohol.
24:55Your flavor really balances out with your proof.
24:59Really good.
25:02Without any further ado,
25:04we have to eliminate one to move forward.
25:10Nata, unfortunately, that jar bought you a ticket home.
25:14Your proof was well below 80 proof.
25:17Wow. Goodness.
25:19I definitely did not choose the right jar.
25:22It was farther down in the proof than I was expecting it.
25:25You guys rock on.
25:27Oh, sure.
25:28I'm taking away a lot from this competition,
25:30and I don't think you've seen the last of me.
25:36It's time to move forward.
25:40For this final round,
25:41you're going to be infusing your baked good spirit
25:45with ingredients that you picked from our stock room.
25:49Tickle!
25:52All right.
25:53All right.
25:54We got going on.
25:55Can you take them to the stock room?
25:57And bring them back.
25:58Well, I can bring them back.
25:59Well, good luck.
26:00Maybe drop your jaws at the station.
26:02Don't take them jaws with Tickle.
26:04He cannot be trusted.
26:05All right.
26:06Well, I'll tell y'all what.
26:08Y'all come on with me.
26:09Guys, this is it.
26:10All on the line here.
26:18All right.
26:19Y'all are going to have two minutes
26:21to pick ingredients for your sipping cream.
26:24Jason, your time starts now.
26:28Look, there's some hot peppers.
26:30Pick up the hot peppers
26:31and maybe a little bit of that parsley right under.
26:33Look, there's onions right there.
26:35Nobody had nothing bad to say about my spirit.
26:37But it's the final challenge.
26:39I got to make sipping cream.
26:40And I don't see you picking any onion.
26:42So I'm racking my brain
26:43and what I'm known for is my orange cream sipping.
26:4630 seconds in, Jason.
26:48So I get oranges.
26:49I get apple juice.
26:51I get brown sugar.
26:52I get vanilla wafers.
26:54And I get honey.
26:55I'm going to make orange glazed cinnamon bun sipping cream.
26:59That's it.
27:00All right.
27:01Well, one minute in and you are done.
27:02That's what I want.
27:03He got excited.
27:04All right.
27:05Katie, time starts now.
27:08What are we going to pick first?
27:09What are we going to pick first?
27:10Tomato juice.
27:11Everybody loves a good tomato juice sipping cream.
27:13All right, pineapples.
27:14Okay, we've got ingredient one.
27:16I didn't want to make a strawberries and cream
27:18sipping cream.
27:19It's been done before.
27:20I decided to grab pineapple, banana, and spices.
27:26Bananas.
27:27Okay, pineapple, banana.
27:29Are we going tropical?
27:30Brown sugar.
27:31All right.
27:3245 seconds left, Katie.
27:33Pour apple juice.
27:34As I was in the spice section, I found the apple cider.
27:37All right.
27:38You got it in your basket?
27:39Minute 45.
27:41You have picked your ingredients.
27:44Let's get back in here and see what we can't do.
27:47Coming up.
27:48I'm going to bring a buddy in here.
27:49I'm going to phone a friend.
27:50Millie Paretri.
27:52Hey.
27:53Just one wrong thing and it could just throw a whole
27:56entire recipe off.
27:57You know what that jar tasted like?
27:59A winner.
28:04Guys, this is it.
28:06All on the line here.
28:08We know more about liquor than Jack Rabbit knows about running,
28:11but when it comes to cakes and pastry,
28:13we just know we like them.
28:15So I'm going to bring a buddy in here.
28:17I'm going to phone a friend.
28:22Hey.
28:23How's it going?
28:26Welcome our friend, Millie Paretri.
28:29She spent over a decade honing her culinary skills
28:32and craft.
28:33I'd like to welcome you with us today, Millie.
28:35That's me.
28:36Thank you so much.
28:37You're so warm.
28:39You guys going to make some good stuff for me today?
28:41Absolutely.
28:42Absolutely.
28:43Something sweet with a little bit of heat?
28:45If that's what you want.
28:46Well, all right now, because you know I am Millie Paretri.
28:49I'm just going to have to keep it real with you.
28:50This is not good.
28:52I'm a New York Times critically acclaimed chef,
28:54recipe writer, and developer.
28:58Gargantuan to the 10th power.
29:00This is what I'm talking about.
29:01OK?
29:02I started my career in cupcakes,
29:04and now I'm shifting my talent into a product.
29:07I recently developed an orange glazed sweet potato honey bun.
29:11I am the queen of producing flavors
29:14for a whole bunch of people.
29:16Looking forward to seeing how you guys execute
29:18big, bold flavors in teeny tiny glasses.
29:22All right, guys.
29:23For your next challenge, you're going to make us
29:26a really good sipping cream
29:28using cream you brought from home.
29:32Bring us a delicious jar of sipping cream
29:35with a good alcohol backbone.
29:38Your four hour starts now.
29:40Good luck. Get with it.
29:43Using identical pot stills with a thumper,
29:46the two remaining distillers have four hours
29:49to infuse flavors using ingredients from the stockroom.
29:53Then, they must finish it with fresh cream
29:56to deliver judges a sipping cream
29:58that tastes like baked goods.
30:01I'm very interested to see how the alcohol
30:03and the baking is going to come together
30:05to make a complex and fully composed beverage.
30:13Are you putting them all in, Katie?
30:14Yeah.
30:15I'm going to see this first jar
30:17after I discarded the four shots.
30:19I'm going to see where I think the proof is
30:21and taste it.
30:22I'm going to do that right now.
30:25You know what that jar tasted like?
30:27A winner.
30:29Eat that brown sugar.
30:31What's your ingredients?
30:32What are you thinking over there?
30:33I'm just trying to get this honey in here.
30:35I put honey, brown sugar, apple juice in my thumper
30:38and vanilla wafers.
30:40We ain't never seen nobody use vanilla wafers
30:43for vanilla flavor.
30:45It'll have that little baked cookie note in there.
30:47Yeah.
30:48Jason, what is it that you're making for us today?
30:51I'm going for an orange cinnamon roll.
30:52Where'd that inspiration come from?
30:54Um...
30:57So, on Christmas,
30:59my mom used to make them for me when I was younger.
31:01Making these, it's kind of close to heart
31:04because my mom used to make the cinnamon rolls
31:06and I lost my mom,
31:08so it just brings back that nostalgia,
31:12that feeling, you know what I mean?
31:13Like, she's still there, you know?
31:15This is my time.
31:18I'm going to run with it.
31:20Woo, baby!
31:21Yeah!
31:22What are you putting in your thumper over there, Katie?
31:24I'm putting some apple juice in here, buddy.
31:28Some pineapple, some bananas.
31:30There you go.
31:31Walnuts.
31:32Katie, what you making over here?
31:34Hummingbird cake.
31:35It's kind of a fusion of carrot cake and banana bread.
31:39I have pecans, apple cider, and allspice.
31:42I'm going to incorporate them in the thumper first
31:44and save ingredients for later
31:46in case it doesn't carry over for me.
31:48Making a little bag.
31:50I don't want the oils that are going to come out of it,
31:52so I'm just trying to get flavor.
31:54I not only have to rerun a distillate
31:56that's very high proof,
31:58but also to add it into a sipping cream.
32:01So I'm trusting my bartending background
32:03to incorporate these correctly.
32:07Oh, yeah, finally!
32:08Hey, that was easy.
32:09Look at that!
32:10You burnt one hour.
32:12You got three to go.
32:16When it comes to baking,
32:18it's such a science and so formulated.
32:23Just one wrong thing,
32:24and it could just throw a whole entire recipe off.
32:27A distiller is a cook.
32:29Exact same thing.
32:36I need flavor.
32:37You don't have any?
32:38Not enough.
32:41I knew that I needed to get flavor out of the pecans,
32:44and I didn't have many options.
32:47Oh, Katie, what are you doing with that blowtorch
32:49and that bucket and stuff?
32:50So I'm trying to do a couple of reactions
32:52because I don't have another way to heat these up.
32:55So I'm trying to toast the outside of these pecans
32:57a little bit.
32:58Okay.
32:59Just trying to do a quick one, two, three
33:00to extract flavor.
33:01Yeah.
33:02Just get a little bit of caramelization.
33:07I'm going to blend two jars together
33:09and then add my juice and all that.
33:11You know, there's nothing better than fresh squeezed.
33:13He bust them oranges up like nobody's business.
33:15He didn't put any oranges in the pot or the thumper,
33:18so that's got to be something he's going to
33:20post flavor with.
33:22Oranges suck to work with.
33:23There's a lot of acid in them.
33:26It's super hard.
33:28Katie, did you get all the flavors
33:30of the hummingbird in here?
33:32I feel pretty good about it.
33:33The pecan, to be honest,
33:35did not carry over as much as I wanted to in the vapor.
33:37Okay.
33:38So it's going to be very mild on that end,
33:40but I think with the spices and everything else,
33:42I feel very confident they carried through.
33:44Don't forget, hummingbird also has like
33:46those tropical flavors as well,
33:48where I can enjoy on a beach
33:50or I can sit around the fireplace
33:53with chestnuts over open fire.
33:55You know, hummingbird cake,
33:56I liked when I was younger based on the name
33:58because I grew up feeding hummingbirds to my grandmother.
34:00That was one of our favorite things to do.
34:02And that's where the name came from, right?
34:03Yeah.
34:04I'm excited.
34:05Thank you so much.
34:06You're welcome.
34:07I'm here.
34:08I have arrived.
34:09I came to be nosy.
34:11That's okay.
34:12What are we doing?
34:13I'm making an orange cinnamon roll.
34:14It's something that my mother would make
34:16in the mornings on Christmas
34:17or my wife would make in the mornings on Christmas.
34:19I'm excited because, you know,
34:20I make an orange glazed honey bun.
34:22I'm in the arena of orange pastry right now.
34:25Oh, man.
34:26So let's see what it do.
34:27Yep.
34:28If I'm going to impress anybody,
34:29it has to be Chef Milly
34:31because I'm making along the same lines
34:33of what she makes.
34:36Y'all got 30 minutes left.
34:42Blending the sipping cream in,
34:44I knew that I had to be careful
34:45to not curdle this cream
34:47because anything with high acidity
34:49or high alcohol hits that cream,
34:51it's going to curdle.
34:53Normal sipping cream is around 45, 50 proof.
34:57But I want to, like, give them a little punch.
35:00That's it.
35:04Finishing off my product,
35:05I had allspice instead of nutmeg.
35:08I feel comfortable taking a little bit of a risk.
35:10We're just going to see what happens.
35:12I'm very interested to see these flavors
35:14that I've never seen on the market
35:16and how they're going to come together.
35:18They're both going to be special, I think.
35:20Hummingbird cake and choosing the things that I did
35:22are a little risky,
35:23but I think the flavors are going to be
35:25really fun for them.
35:27Hey, we're friends,
35:28but ultimately somebody's got to lose.
35:30It's a competition.
35:31Let's take them up.
35:32Let's do it.
35:33Good job, kids.
35:34That's beautiful.
35:41Sipping creams are red hot right now.
35:43Oh, yeah?
35:44Two of the hottest, peanut butter and banana pudding,
35:48like a peanut butter banana sandwich.
35:50Another hot one is waffle flavored.
35:53Does it have, like, maple in it?
35:54Tastes just like a maple syrup buttered waffle,
35:58and it's delicious.
35:59The only thing about them, they're fattening.
36:02I'm going to call it health food
36:03because it has a lot of fruit in it.
36:04I like the way you do business.
36:06Listen, little antioxidants, why not, right?
36:11I can't wait to taste these sipping creams.
36:13What they made with all those baked goods,
36:15they're going to be off the chain.
36:17We're going to drink this thing down.
36:18I bet you you are.
36:19I bet you they're going to be good enough.
36:21We'll want to drink them down.
36:23All right, well, let's get started
36:25right here, right close to me.
36:26Jason.
36:29I've never made it with homemade orange juice.
36:32I mean, that was the hardest I saw you work the entire time,
36:35was juicing your oranges.
36:36They're still sweating from pumping them oranges out.
36:39Orange glazed cinnamon roll.
36:41Sipping creams, they're bold in flavor.
36:44They'll hit you right up front.
36:45Then the alcohol comes into play,
36:47and then that buttery mouthfeel.
36:49So what we're looking for is
36:51the flavors not to overpower one another.
36:54I'm looking for the sweetness,
36:55the creaminess, and the glaze,
36:57and that bright acidic acid of the orange.
37:02That's cream.
37:03It's cinnamon, it's orange,
37:05and I taste the alcohol as an afterthought.
37:08It's nice and warm.
37:09The smell is very orange, but I don't get orange.
37:12It goes to cream.
37:14It's because Jason, using just the juice,
37:17that pungent orange flavor
37:19is essentially in the zest where all the oils are.
37:22It's good.
37:24I get a little cinnamon there toward the back end.
37:27That right there would sell all day long.
37:29He spoke of his mother.
37:31She used to make the orange glazed cinnamon rolls.
37:34So he's probably paying homage to her.
37:37Don't make me want to buy a couple bottles.
37:39All right, here we go.
37:40Katie's hummingbird.
37:44My grandmother used to make hummingbird cakes,
37:46and I'm very interested to see
37:48how all these flavors are going to come together.
37:50Yeah.
37:52I knew that with the ingredients
37:55and the flavor components,
37:57I was binding off a lot.
37:59It could have gone overboard.
38:02I smell the banana, and I smell the spice.
38:08It tastes like cream.
38:10I don't even taste the pineapple.
38:12I am picking up banana on the front.
38:14I smell it.
38:16The recipes vary, but the base of the recipe,
38:19it's a banana cake.
38:22However, a lot of things are getting lost in the sauce,
38:24and I feel like everything is just fighting to get to the top.
38:27I get a lot of banana on the nose.
38:29Yeah.
38:30But it's really, really faint pineapple.
38:32I don't know if it's in there or not.
38:36The task at hand was to take a pastry
38:38and create a sipping cream from it.
38:41Only one of those does that for you.
38:43Only one.
38:44Only one for me, too.
38:46I'm riding on the same seat as Milly.
38:49Well, Milly, are you ready to go name
38:51the next master distiller?
38:53Absolutely.
38:54Let's do it.
38:55Let's do it.
38:56Here we go.
39:00Ah.
39:09Good luck.
39:10Good luck.
39:11I'm gonna tell you,
39:12two fine drinks we're looking at right there.
39:14So we'll just go down the line,
39:16give us our pros and cons.
39:18Jason.
39:20You brought the orange glaze cinnamon roll.
39:22It was all right there, the mouth feel.
39:24And after you took a drink that, you know,
39:26you just finished a sweet roll.
39:28You played that hand really well.
39:30Jason, how you talked about your mom,
39:33such a beautiful story.
39:34And when you drink it, instantly,
39:37I tasted orange.
39:39It very much rang true to exactly
39:41what you labeled your drink.
39:43However, I didn't get that pungent orange feel
39:46that will normally come from the oil
39:48and the zest in your sipping cream.
39:52Katie.
39:54Bringing that hummingbird cake.
39:56The cake batter filled that drink.
39:57It was right there.
39:58The banana, I think it may have overpowered
40:01the pineapple a little bit.
40:03But all in all, it was a wonderful drink.
40:08Katie Bug, very smooth, very creamy.
40:12Absolutely a good jar right there in your hand.
40:15Outstanding job.
40:18When you talked about hummingbird cake
40:20and you talked about your grandma,
40:22I'm like, oh my gosh,
40:23I can remember eating hummingbird cake
40:25with my Aunt Olamay in Beaufort, South Carolina.
40:27And I smelt like the banana.
40:29I smelt the pineapple.
40:30And it was just a beautiful thing
40:31and very nostalgic.
40:32However, when I went to drink it,
40:34it was too much to incorporate
40:36every single flavor.
40:37It just kind of fell short in the hummingbird cake.
40:41But collectively,
40:42you two put your best foot forward
40:44and most importantly gave us that nostalgic feel
40:47that we're all looking for.
40:50I'm gonna go ahead and let y'all know
40:53who the next Master Distiller is.
41:01Jason, you're the next Master Distiller, my friend.
41:03Congratulations.
41:06I ain't ever won nothing in my life.
41:08I can't even put it into words how hard I've worked.
41:11I'm so overcome with emotion.
41:13It's unbelievable, as you can see.
41:15It's been my honor and privilege
41:17to judge the both of you.
41:19I'm blown away.
41:21No words can describe it right now.
41:23Oh, God.
41:24Go out there and shower those jars.
41:25Yeah, get out here and quit crying in front of me
41:27or I'm gonna be a basket case.