Red Astaire shortfill | the recipe read note by note

Red berries, black grape, eucalyptus, aniseed, menthol. Five ingredients in a single recipe, and not one more in the maker’s own description. Yet from one listing to the next, the Red Astaire shortfill changes ratio, picks up blackcurrant or liquorice, and the shot maths usually stops at the nicotine strength. Before opening the bottle, it pays to know what T-Juice actually says, in which order the notes arrive, and what happens to the base once the shot goes in.

Red Astaire shortfill, what is in the bottle

The Red Astaire shortfill is the large, nicotine-free version of the flagship recipe from British brand T-Juice. The maker describes it as ripe red berries, black grape and sweet eucalyptus, followed by a warm kick of aniseed before a cool menthol finish.

The liquid comes in a 60 ml bottle filled to 50 ml, leaving room for one 10 ml nicotine shot. It is a layered fresh fruit recipe, where the fruit opens the puff and the aniseed and menthol close it. Everything else, ratio included, depends more on the listing you read than on the bottle itself.

The five notes of the Red Astaire shortfill in the stated order

T-Juice does not publish a detailed flavour pyramid, but its description follows a clear path, from fruit towards cold. We take it step by step, with what each ingredient usually brings to a fruit blend.

Red berries and black grape up front

The recipe opens on ‘ripe red berries’, without the maker saying which ones, and on black grape. The grape gives the blend its dark colour and roundness, where a classic berry mix would be sharper. This fruit base carries the whole first half of the puff.

Sweet eucalyptus in the middle

Next comes a eucalyptus that T-Juice calls sweet. It bridges the fruit and the final cooling, with a green, balsamic note rather than outright cold. This is the ingredient that sets Red Astaire apart from berry blends that are simply iced.

Aniseed, then menthol, at the finish

The aniseed arrives as a ‘warm kick’, in the maker’s words, and lifts the flavour just before the end. Menthol then closes the puff on a cool sensation. If you dislike aniseed, know it before you buy, because the note is far from decorative in this recipe.

What the recipe does not contain

Several retailers add ingredients that are missing from T-Juice’s description. One listing mentions liquorice, another blackcurrant, a third ‘wild berries’. None of these appears on the maker’s page, which sticks to the five notes above. The red berries stay deliberately generic, and that is the only grey area in the recipe.

The Red Astaire shortfill ratio, three figures for one bottle

This is where listings disagree most. Among retailer pages that rank for this product, most show 40/60, meaning 40 per cent propylene glycol and 60 per cent vegetable glycerine. Others state 50/50, and a few 30/70.

The maker’s own shortfill page gives no ratio at all. Only the 10 ml version sold by T-Juice carries a figure, 50 per cent vegetable glycerine. One retailer sums up the confusion, with a page address that says 30/70 and a product name that shows 40/60 for the same item.

These gaps may come from different batches or from old listings never updated, but no source settles the matter. The only reliable information is the label on the bottle in your hand. It matters, because ten points of glycerine either way change how thick the liquid is and how well it feeds a tank with a fine wick.

Adding a shot to the Red Astaire shortfill, the maths down to the ratio

Listings almost always stop at the nicotine strength you end up with. The final ratio is never worked out, even though it moves as soon as the shot does not share the liquid’s base.

Nicotine strength with one shot

The 60 ml bottle takes a single 10 ml shot. At 20 mg/ml, the UK maximum for nicotine e-liquid, it adds 200 mg of nicotine to 60 ml of mix, which gives about 3.3 mg/ml.

Final ratio depending on the starting base

A 10 ml 50/50 shot holds 5 ml of propylene glycol and 5 ml of glycerine. Added to 50 ml of liquid, it shifts the ratio differently depending on the stated base.

Stated base of the bottle	Propylene glycol after a 50/50 shot	Final ratio, rounded
40/60	20 ml + 5 ml = 25 ml out of 60	42/58
30/70	15 ml + 5 ml = 20 ml out of 60	33/67
50/50	25 ml + 5 ml = 30 ml out of 60	50/50

The gap stays small, two to three points at most. It still explains why the same bottle can feel slightly thinner than stated once the shot is in, and why the final ratio should be worked out from the label rather than the listing.

The other formats of the same recipe

The shortfill is not the only way in. On its own shop, T-Juice offers Red Astaire as a 10 ml nicotine e-liquid, as a nicotine salt and as a flavour concentrate, with the same recipe according to the maker’s descriptions.

The 10 ml comes in 3, 6, 12 and 18 mg/ml, on a 50 per cent vegetable glycerine base, all within the UK limit of 20 mg/ml for nicotine e-liquid in bottles of no more than 10 ml. The concentrate, in 10 ml or 30 ml, is given a 20 per cent mix and a steep time of one to three days. That dosage is the one the maker gives for the concentrate, which is meant for home mixing.

FAQ

Specific questions about the bottle, beyond the recipe and the shot maths.

Does Red Astaire contain blackcurrant?

Not according to T-Juice, which speaks of ripe red berries and black grape without naming blackcurrant. The mention shows up on some retailer listings. When they disagree, the maker’s description is the one to trust.

Can two nicotine shots go into the bottle?

No. The 60 ml bottle is filled with 50 ml of liquid and leaves room for a single 10 ml shot, which tops it up to the neck.

Should the bottle rest after adding the shot?

T-Juice gives no steep time for the shortfill, only for the concentrate. Shaking the bottle well after adding the shot does help spread the nicotine through the whole liquid.

Is Red Astaire a menthol e-liquid?

Only in part. Menthol arrives at the finish, after the fruit, the eucalyptus and the aniseed. It is a fresh fruit recipe rather than a pure menthol, and the cooling is one stage rather than the main thread.

What does ‘shortfill’ mean on a listing?

It describes a nicotine-free bottle deliberately filled below its capacity, here 50 ml in a 60 ml bottle. The free space is there for the nicotine shot.

Red Astaire shortfill, a fruit recipe that ends on cold

Behind its reputation, the recipe reads simply. Red berries and black grape to open, eucalyptus as the bridge, aniseed and menthol to close. The real difficulty is not the taste but the information, between ingredients added by retailers and three ratios for one product.

Before picking a Red Astaire shortfill, keep two habits. Trust the maker’s five notes rather than embellished listings, and work out the final ratio from the label on the bottle. It is the best way to approach fresh fruit recipes, which often look more alike on paper than in the detail of their blends.

More blends to unpick

This breakdown is written for adults. Vaping products can contain nicotine, which is addictive, and vaping products are not for sale to anyone under 18 in the UK. Alchimie Fruitée reads recipes, sells nothing, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy.