I am making a couple batches to see if I can find the best recipe. The first batch I make will have 10 vanilla beans per cup vodka. The next batch will have the recommended 8 vanilla beans per cup, and then 12 beans per cup.
Clean out your bottles (preferably darkened ones to keep the light out) and lids. (I found some bottles on Amazon that were fairly inexpensive. I also found a really good price on vanilla beans on Amazon.) Slice your vanilla beans in half lengthwise, and then scrape out the caviar (seeds). Put the caviar in the bottle, and then slice the beans in thirds, and put them in the bottle. Now add your vodka, put the lid on and shake. If you are making several batches, you will want to label your bottle. I also suggest putting the date on there so you know how often to shake it and when it is ready to consume.
In my research I did not find anything to suggest that you should go for one variety over another. The only thing I found was that it was recommended you get 80 proof vodka.
Now for the shaking part, shake the bottle(s) daily for the first week, and then shake it every other day for the next 3 weeks. At this point it is ready to use, but if you really want some good extract, have some patience and shake it a couple times a month or so until the 6 month point. At 6 months, you can strain your beans out, and you now have some pretty awesome vanilla extract.
Don't throw the beans away after you strain them, because if you let them dry out, you can still put them in some sugar and make vanilla sugar. I use this in my homemade root beer in addition to throwing in a couple vanilla beans, and it makes for a very smooth tasting root beer.
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