Mysterious crystals in peppercorn-infused whiskey

January 2, 2022 5:45 PM

About 3 years ago I bought way too many black peppercorns. I put some in a glass jar, barely covered them with cheap whiskey, and capped the jar. I looked at the bottom of the jar today and saw needle-shaped crystals that must have precipitated. What could they be?
posted by gray17 to Food & Drink (2 answers total)

piperine?
wikipedia:

Piperine, along with its isomer chavicine, is the alkaloid[1] responsible for the pungency of black pepper and long pepper. It has been used in some forms of traditional medicine.[2]

Due to its poor solubility in water, piperine is typically extracted from black pepper by using organic solvents like dichloromethane.[3] The amount of piperine varies from 1–2% in long pepper, to 5–10% in commercial white and black peppers.[4][5]

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posted by sebastienbailard at 6:00 PM on January 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

How is the peppercorn infused whiskey tho i am intrigued
posted by wowenthusiast at 6:23 PM on January 2, 2022 [9 favorites]