Immersion Circulator
An immersion circulator, or sous-vide stick, is a heater and pump, around 30 to 40cm long in the ones we use, that clips to a deep pot and holds the water at a set temperature. In a bar it warms infusions of spirit with fruit, spice, tea or herbs at around 50 to 60°C for one to three hours, and it makes syrups without boiling them. It gives the same result each time, which a jar on a shelf does not.
About the Immersion Circulator
A Water Bath That Holds Its Number
The circulator clips to the side of a deep pot, heats the water and pumps it round, so the whole bath sits at the temperature you set.
An infusion in a jar on a shelf changes with the season and the room. In a bath at 55°C for two hours, it comes out the same next time, because the conditions have not moved.
Water bath, cream whipper and jar infusions compared
Immersion circulator
- Temperature
- Usually 50 to 60°C, sealed
- Typical time
- One to three hours
- Character
- Repeatable, with control over strength
Cream whipper
- Temperature
- Room temperature, under pressure
- Typical time
- A few minutes
- Character
- Quick and bright
Jar on a shelf
- Temperature
- Room temperature
- Typical time
- Days to weeks
- Character
- Varies with the room
| Method | Temperature | Typical time | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immersion circulator | Usually 50 to 60°C, sealed | One to three hours | Repeatable, with control over strength |
| Cream whipper | Room temperature, under pressure | A few minutes | Quick and bright |
| Jar on a shelf | Room temperature | Days to weeks | Varies with the room |
Well Short of the Point Where Ethanol Boils
Ethanol boils at about 78°C. Keep the bath at 50 to 60°C and the bag or jar sealed, and very little alcohol escapes.
Heat changes flavour before it changes strength. Fresh herbs taste stewed and citrus peel turns towards marmalade when they are pushed too hot or too long, so start low and taste.
Food Safety After the Bath
Wash fruit and herbs before they go in, and use bags or jars made for heating food. Cool the sealed bag or jar in iced water before you open it.
Full-strength spirit keeps well once it is strained. Syrups, cordials and low-strength infusions are different: chill them as soon as they come out and bottle them clean; we keep them in the fridge and use them within a couple of weeks.
Do not leave them sitting warm in the bath past their time. Throw away anything that turns cloudy, fizzy or mouldy.
Fat-Washing in a Bath
Stir a melted fat, such as browned butter, into a spirit, hold the sealed bag at around 50 to 60°C for an hour, then freeze it. The fat sets and lifts off, and what passes through a fine strainer keeps the flavour without the grease.
The Benton’s Old Fashioned, Four Roses bourbon washed with bacon fat from Allan Benton’s Tennessee smokehouse and sweetened with maple syrup, was created by Don Lee at Please Don’t Tell in New York around 2007, by Punch’s and Cocktail Corner’s accounts, and is the drink bartenders tend to cite. Keep any fat-washed spirit in the fridge.
Using the Immersion Circulator
Usage
Infusing spirits with fruit, spice, tea or herbs, fat-washing, and making syrups and cordials without boiling them. Most infusions sit at around 50 to 60°C for one to three hours in a sealed bag or jar.
Pro Tip
Write the temperature, the time and the date on the bottle. The point of a circulator is that you can make the same infusion again, and that only works if you know what you did.
Professional Tips
- Keep the water between the minimum and maximum lines on the stick.
- Use bags or jars made for sous vide or for hot food, and seal them well.
- Weigh the bag down; spirit is lighter than water and floats.
- Cool the sealed bag or jar in iced water before you open it.
Alternatives
Budget Alternative
A jar on a shelf. A cold infusion takes days instead of hours and varies with the room, but it needs no kit at all.
Premium Option
A more powerful circulator that brings a larger pot up to temperature faster and holds it steady. Useful for big batches; for a bottle at a time, a small one does the same job.
Specifications
Material
Stainless steel and plastic
Capacity
Heats a pot or tub of water; the maker gives minimum and maximum water lines and the largest volume it can hold steady
Details
Heater, pump and thermostat in one stick, around 30 to 40cm long in the ones we use, with a clip or clamp to fix it to the container
More to explore
Common Questions
What is an immersion circulator used for in drinks?
What temperature should I use for a sous-vide infusion?
Does sous-vide heat remove the alcohol?
Is a sous-vide infusion safe to keep?
Can I use a zip bag or a jar for a sous-vide infusion?
What is fat-washing?
How long do sous-vide infusions take?
Sources.
Correct as of 18 October 2026.
- Punch, “Benton’s Old Fashioned (from The PDT Cocktail Book, 2011)” (Names Don Lee as the creator; recipe reprinted from Jim Meehan’s book.).
- Cocktail Corner, “Benton’s Old Fashioned” (Secondary: names Don Lee, PDT, around 2007, Four Roses, Benton’s bacon fat and Grade B maple syrup.).
Made with the Immersion Circulator
Related Equipment
Related Ingredients
Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 20 October 2026