How to? bottle small glass containers with cork. Is it possible.

[john henry]

I was asked to supply @ 5 gallons of syrup to fill some fancy glass bottles for wedding favors. The bottles are new and have cork tops. I see pictures of syrup in bottles with cork tops for sale but really can't find much info on doing it. At first I told the customer that we would have to bottle them with my canner and fill them real close to the wedding date and that they would need to be refrigerated so as not to mold. Is this possible to do? If so how do you recommend doing it and what should I suggest for storage and "shelf life"? these are small heart shaped bottles with cork tops. I don't want people taking them home to just mold right away if they don't use them quickly... Thanks for your help!

[bill m]

I have never done it myself but I believe producers who do use corks also seal the tops with wax.

[wmick]

I cant imagine why a cork would be a problem at all, compared to any other container seals? You would want to use a proper cork press tool, to ensure they are inserted tightly. Being as they are very small you will likely want to preheat them... I filled some tiny mason jars this year... and if I tried to fill a cold jar, it would cool the syrup down too quick while filling... and the seals did not suck down properly. Some companies still "wax" their wine bottles... It does serve as an extra seal... and a tamper-proof mechanism.. but I think it's pretty much for looks. as lots use aluminum foil now.. Wax does look nice though.

[maple flats]

Look at this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU0EgmVDckY
It is about corking wine bottles, then look for a tool for the size you need, maybe you can even make one.
Then bottle it hot and cork it before the syrup cools below 180 F. I see no reason why it would need to be treated any differntly than any good bottle/cap combo.

[maple flats]

If you have or a friend has a 3D printer a tool could likely be made with it. It seems the tool would need to have an opening that fit rather snogly on the top of the bottle with a slight tapered throat above that with the bottom of the throat barely smaller than the bottle opening. Then a ram that ends very slightly above the top of the bottle. Then just use either hand pressure or a rubber or dead blow mallet to seat the cork.
How small of a corkscrew can be gotten? They will be needed for opening the bottles.
Or maybe there is a synthetic cork with a large head to pull the cork when needed.

[john henry]

I appreciate the help I've received so far. I have a bottle capper for homemade soda capping it should work pretty good I hope. It is a lever type press to press the lid onto the bottle. Unfortunately I haven't seen the bottles yet so I cannot answer as to the shape of the cork etc. Thanks again!

[sg5054]

There are corks referred to as tasting corks, t top corks, mushroom corks. They are designed to be removeable. Google will show you all sorts of them. I used some this year.