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| Cinnamon Infused Vodka |
Making your own infused vodka . . . sounds intimidating to some. But in reality, you are chucking some herbs or fruit in vodka and monitoring it until it achieves the strength of taste you are looking for in your infusion. Of course, there are some some things to consider. I'll go over some things I think are particularly important and that I do when infusing.
First off, use glass. Mason jars are great actually, but I'll use anything I have handy. Right now I have a cinnamon infusion in a maple syrup glass container and my ginger infusion is in I believe a spaghetti sauce jar. Make sure whatever you are using is clean and you should be fine.
Don't go out and buy the cheapest vodka imaginable. Cheap vodka tastes cheap and an infusion made with cheap vodka will taste like an infusion made with cheap vodka. I'm not saying you should use Grey Goose or Belvedere, but please don't buy a rot gut vodka. I usually use Absolut or Stoli. I would also recommend that you do not use a vodka distilled from potatoes or rye since they often have their own distinctive taste.
As with the vodka, you should be using quality fresh fruit, fresh herbs, fresh veggies and fresh spices. Don't use the strawberries that have been sitting in the back of the refrigerator for the past 2 weeks. Make sure all your fruits, veggies, and herbs are clean. Wash them in a colander and allow them to dry before using.
You want to prep your fruit by cutting it into smaller pieces. This will speed the infusion process. If you are concerned about aesthetics, you can leave the fruit whole or in bigger chunks but pierce the pieces in a few places. Some fruit should also be peeled due to the fact that the skins impede the infusing process. These fruits include most stone fruit and mangoes. For citrus infusions, you may actually want to use the peel since the peel contains strong flavorful citrus oils. Just make sure to scrape the white pith from the peel. If you are feeling adventurous and using tomatoes, you should leave the peel intact because the tomatoes will disintegrate quickly without the peel. If I'm using berries, I usually muddle them. You may choose to add some sugar. This will help the berries to yield their juices.
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| Ginger infused vodka |
If using seeds, such as star anise or peppercorns, they should be crushed slightly. When using herbs, I strongly recommend using fresh herbs. If that is not an option, at least use whole or dried leaf spices. Powders will be next to impossible to strain out of your infusion.
Put your fruit, herbs, veggies, or spices in your infusing jar and then gently pour the vodka over them. Don't fill your container to the brim. Some of your ingredients may release juices during the infusion process and you don't want your container overfilled.After that, I give it a good shake. I try to shake my infusions at least once a day. I make sure to keep the bottle out of light and do my infusing at room temperature. Some people may disagree with me on that particular aspect. Vodka should be served cold, however, coldness slows down the infusing process. You also need to taste your infusion on a regular, probably daily, basis. You don't want your infusion too strong. What I usually do is to allow my infusion to sit out for a few days, do regular tastings, and when I think it is near completion, I place it in the refrigerator. Do not allow any of the flavoring ingredients to be exposed to air. If that happens after your tastings, simply add a little more vodka to make sure they are covered.
When you think you are finished, find yourself a pretty decanter or another clean Mason jar. Pour your infusion through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter. And I stick mine in the freezer and enjoy it.
