Vanilla Substitutes You Can Grab Straight From The Bar - Chowhound

If you've ever taken a whiff of vanilla extract out of the bottle (and if you haven't, you're missing out on a heavenly aroma!) you've probably noticed the slight alcoholic twang to the scent. That's because to make extract, vanilla beans are soaked in alcohol. The trademark flavor comes from the vanillin found in the vanilla bean pod itself, but the mixture of water and alcohol they're soaked in draws out the…