How to extract mouth numbing effect from Sichuan peppercorn into a syrup?
I tried following the recipe here to try to create a Sichuan peppercorn simple syrup. The recipe is basically to add slightly crushed peppercorn to sugar and water, allow to simmer, take off the heat, and repeat. The end result was tasty, but it did not have the same mouth numbing effect that I was hoping for except for with the leftover peppercorn in the syrup.
How can I get the mouth numbing effect into a syrup, and why did the above method not work? The Wikipedia article on hydroxy alpha sanshool suggests you can extract it with a distillation method although that seems like a bit of overkill when I am just trying to make cocktails at home (and when I don't own a condenser or distillation flask).
Best Answer
The reason you didn't get the numbing effect is because the hydroxy alpha sanshool is an alcohol that is largely soluble in oils not water.
When boiled it will come off in the steam and escape the boiling process in that manner. If you distill it, it will collect as an oil not as an ethanol/water soluble product. I doubt that putting the lid on the pot will collect significant amounts, or if they do collect enough to form droplets, they will be as fine oil layer on the surface of the liquid or on the lid of the pot.
I note that the extraction protocol mentioned on its wikipedia page includes ethanol and notes that the yield is low (~60%) of the available chemical. Boiling alone in water is not sufficient to extract any significant quantity.
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How do you extract Sichuan peppercorns?
1. Spoon 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns into a shallow bowl; remove any black seeds or stems. Toast peppercorns in a small, dry saute pan, shaking to toss, over medium heat until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. They'll produce a little smoke, which is fine, but take care not to let them burn.Does Sichuan pepper numb your mouth?
Sichuan peppercorns produce a phenomenon called paraesthesia, in which the lips and tongue feel as though they are vibrating and go vaguely numb \u2013 known as m\xe1.What makes Sichuan peppercorn numbing?
Sichuan pepper has a citrus-like flavor and induces a tingling numbness, akin to a 50-hertz vibration, in the mouth due to the presence of hydroxy-alpha sanshool.How long do Sichuan peppercorns numbing last?
Up close, it quickly becomes clear where the \u201cprickly\u201d part of the name comes from, as they are covered in serious thorns. Plucked from the stem and eaten, the effect of one tiny berry is nothing short of extraordinary. Waves of numbness lasting a full 10 minutes show their remarkable potency when fresh.Sichuan Peppercorn will NUMB your Mouth
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Answer 2
After reading @bob1's very helpful answer I ran a couple tests and found that the hydroxy alpha sanshool does seem to be soluble in alcohol such that it could be infused. In my first test I left a pinch of peppercorn in a splash of 80 proof vodka (didn't measure either) and left it for around 6-8 hours. It tasted horrible but did numb my mouth. In my second test I left a tablespoon of red peppercorn in 80ml of 84 proof mezcal for about 18 hours, which again did numb my mouth although not as strongly. I also chewed on a couple of the leftover peppercorn which had no effect, leading me to believe I did successfully extract the hydroxy alpha sanshool.
My final conclusion to my question is that trying to get the mouth numbing effect into a water and sugar based syrup is not worthwhile or really even possible, but you definitely can get the effect into a cocktail by infusing alcohol.
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