You might not expect a small bottle of vanilla extract to exude bold scents of orange, warm spices, blossoms, herbs, or earthy wood — but that’s what you’ll find in the vanillas from Vain Foods, the company founded by Kate Banks just outside Kansas City, Mo.
Unlike grocery-store versions — often made with industrial alcohol and scraps of vanilla beans — Banks’s extracts transform the flavoring into something much more special. She starts with just two ingredients: single-origin vanilla beans and top-shelf spirits. The result is a liquid that doesn’t just flavor your baked goods, custards, or savory dishes, but deepens them with a layer of complexity.
A lifelong baking enthusiast and devoted Food Network fan, Banks first ventured into making her own vanilla extract after her mother gifted her a collection of vanilla beans from around the globe — they grow on climbing orchid vines in tropical climates and are pollinated by hand to produce beans. The beans undergo months of curing, and it’s a labor-intensive process.
“The fact that each single-origin vanilla bean had its own aroma and flavor led me to think I could pair each bean with a complementary spirit,” she says. “So, I began making vanilla extracts and found the proper spirit for each bean.”
Today, her Vain line includes a dozen vanilla extracts, each designed to evolve and improve with time. Tanzanian vanilla is infused with spiced rum, creating a blend that brims with licorice, warm spice, and an earthiness. Tonga’s raisin-like bean finds new depth when steeped in orange vodka, its sweetness complex and bright. Mexican vanilla, with its subtle smokiness, is an excellent match for Kentucky bourbon’s deep caramel tastes.
Beyond the extracts, Vain also offers a collection of flavor drops — half a dozen varieties without the vanilla bean, sold in two-ounce amber bottles with droppers. A splash can transform your morning coffee, elevate a bowl of oatmeal or yogurt, or make a scoop of vanilla ice cream feel decadent.
The extracts run $23.99 for 3.75 ounces; the vanilla drops, $13.99 for 2 ounces. Available at Blackstone’s of Beacon Hill, 40 Charles St., Boston, 617-227-4646, and at vainfoods.com.
Ann Trieger Kurland can be reached at anntrieger@gmail.com.