The plainest of all alcohols! |
1.) Pick the Right Vodka
The first and one of the most important things about making homemade infused vodka, is your choice of vodka. You don't want to pick cheap vodka that is going to over power the taste of whatever you are infusing it with. And expensive vodka isn't really necessary unless you are trying to impress your company with fancy brand names. I'd choose either Absolut or Stoli.
2.) Get the Right Container
The next important thing you should take into consideration is the kind of container you are infusing in. A glass container is going to be your best bet. Plastic can leave a bad taste in your final product since the alcohol brings out some of the chemicals in the plastic. So go with something big, and something glass. If you don't have a glass container thats big, try something like THIS. If it does not have an airtight lid, you can always cover it with some plastic wrap. Also, if you want to make a lot of small portions, with a different flavor in each. You could look into getting some of THESE.
3.) Add Your Ingredients
This is where you get to be creative. At first, if you're not really sure which flavor of vodka you want to end up with, you could get some of those little glass containers and make a bunch of different flavors. You can use just about any fruit, vegetable, and spice to put in your vodka. Usually fruits are the more popular choice, but it all depends on what you plan on doing with your infused vodka. If you plan on drinking it straight, I'd go with a fruit flavor. When cutting up your ingredients, surface area is important. The smaller you cut up your ingredients, the more flavor you're going to get out of it.
Now if you are using fruits or vegetables for your infusion, fill your container about halfway with whatever you are using. If you are using spices, throw in a handful. Fill up the rest of the container with your vodka and seal it airtight, either with a lid or with plastic wrap.
4.) Let it Sit
For this part of the process you just need to let your mix sit for a while. It could take anywhere from a couple days, to two weeks for the infusion to work all the way. Because you want to get as much flavor out of your ingredients as possible. And you want to make sure to check on your drink every couple of days, just to check the flavor. You don't want to let it sit for too long, otherwise the vodka will start to have a bitter taste to it.
•For soft fruits and berries you'll only need to let it sit for a 3-5 days.
•For more fibrous fruits and vegetables it will need to sit for a week to a week and a half.
•For ingredients with more subtle flavors, you'll need to let them sit for about 2 weeks.
5.) Filter and Serve
This is the last step, and also the easiest step. Once you are done letting your vodka infuse, you need to filter it to get out all of the pulp or other pieces that might be floating around in there. For this you can use a cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Once it's filtered, you can put a lid on your container and store your vodka in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to serve it.
Now taste this fine concoction you have made, and then taste one of those flavored vodkas that you can buy at the liquor store, and you'll see why making it yourself is so much better. You'll be able to taste the difference.
If you aren't feeling too creative, here are some ideas that can help you get started.
Citrus: Lemon, Lime, Orange, Tangerine, and Grapefruit
Vanilla: Cut 4 whole vanilla beans split in half and add them to your vodka
Fruit: Mango, Melons, Grapes, Berries, Peaches, Pears, Cherries, Pomegranate
Candy: Skittles, Jolly Ranchers, Butterscotch Hard Candy, Candy Canes.
One mixture that I would love to try is vanilla and coconut. Use 4 vanilla beans, and then just add in fresh coconut.
I've made Skittles Vodka before and it was a long process, and wasn't that good. Apparently Jolly Rancher infused vodka is much easier and much tastier than Skittles.
If you want to make a cremesicle flavor, try out vanilla and orange.
There are endless possibilities when it comes to making different flavors. You just have to mix things, whether you think they would be good or not.