lustres mixed with alcohol dipping solution??

[showerhead]

Hi,

I am going to use gold and pearl lustres to add finishing touches to a cake i am making in September. Both books say i should use alcohol to add the lustre, with Mich Turner calling for an alcohol dipping solution which i then can't find explained anywhere in her book. Is it ok to just dip my brush into vodka (the cleanest alcohol i can think of) and then into the lustres and onto the cake? Or should i mix the two together first? Can you buy pure alcohol? if so from where?

thanks in advance for any help.

The stuff you need is rejuvenator fluid like this

It's food-grade alcohol.

(but yes you can use vodka if you want to!)

oops I should read the whole post before answering

Use an eggcup: put a few drops of alcohol in and add a very small amount of lustre using the handle of eg a teaspoon. Mix and paint. Quickly! Add more alcohol as it evaporates, which is quite fast...

If you are going to paint writing or filigree work on the main cake then this is ideal. If you're painting colour onto wired flowerpaste leaves or such like that are not going to be eaten, I'd get some confectioners' glaze which is half alcohol (but tastes vile if accidentally nibbled!)

The alcohol in rejuv spirit/vodka concentrates the colour, so that it is much more intense. Once evaporated the colour can rub back off again, so be careful. Glaze is different in that it sets the colour as well.

If you are shading parts of the cake, you'll get a much more delicate effect if you paint dry powder. Depends what effect you're after. I use alcohol with colours when painting flowers, as they come out much brighter (esp things like red roses). When I did my parent's golden wedding cake, I painted white writing instead of colouring it. Ditto the tiny flowers on the sides. For doing a large area then I'd probably have used dry.

What are you planning?

thanks moonbells that is so helpful!
I'm taking inspiration from a cake in my Margaret Braun book- so i'm planning on quite intense gold and pearl. However I also love a cake that Colette Peters makes in her book Cakes to dream on called Dolce de Medici , she seems to use both techniques you mention. I did years ago use lustres by just brushing them on dry- hence my confusion of alcohol. Thanks for explaining what happens with the alcohol.
I'll end up just seeing how it looks at it goes along, I've done a sketch and seems ok using motifs from both designers. I must add my cake will be far less elaborate than either of theirs, just loved the look of them. I've not made anything fancy for years so bit nervous.

both cakes are baroque style , very elaborate . I've broken down the components though and it looks doable, fondant rope is easy enough anyway...