Vanilla testing with Alton Brown’s Orange Julius

Last year when I went for a walk on a Sunday morning and discovered a local flea market to my complete glee, I also found who a man I have been referring to as The Vanilla Man ever since. I had no cash on me at the time and this lovely gentlemen amongst all the dishes and antique vendors was selling large glass bottles of triple strength vanilla for only $20 and I had no money to purchase some. I do not get out to the market very often but last Sunday I stopped by the cash machine and then stopped by the market, hoping to find him and his products.

There they are! He told me that this vanilla has a very low alcohol count, no sugar and is triple the strength of regular vanilla. It is very viscous and potent and unlike most vanilla these days comes in a glass container and is made locally. One 375 ml bottle was only $20 and I said, sold! We exchanged cards and unfortunately he is not online but you can reach him at 902-865-6115 and he is referred to as “The Rawleigh Man”.

Club House Pure Vanilla is what I normally use and a 46 ml container costs $5.29! I did the math and I am paying half for the Gibeaults Vanilla Bean Company vanilla and that does not include the fact that I will be using a third of the vanilla!

I unfortunately discovered in the list of ingredients that there are artificial flavours in the locally made vanilla so I decided to test the quality by making an Orange Julius. To make it yourself, I suggest Alton Brown’s recipe. There are so few ingredients in this beverage that I thought it was a good choice of recipes to test out the quality of this new vanilla.

I made a double batch for me and my husband to share after working on our lawn and garden and it was delicious. As soon as I poured the vanilla into the blender, oh my, the bouquet is so divine. This is a beautiful vanilla. We thoroughly enjoyed our frozen orange and vanilla beverage. Yes, it is not as “pure” as the one from the grocery store but it actually has more vanilla and less alcohol and sugar than the Club House product so in the end, I am thoroughly satisfied with my purchase and know it is going to last me a long, long time.

And for those with a bit of a sweet tooth, I would add a little honey to the Orange Julius next time! But do not omit the icing sugar, the icing sugar is what makes it super frothy and gives it that texture and foam we love so much. I made mine with skim milk but you can of course use soy or almond milk for even healthier versions.

Who doesn’t love Orange Julius? Now that it is finally getting warm out here, I am going to make these all the time!