Using just one flavor to spice up your vodka. Options you can choose from include mango, orange peel, watermelon, apple, blueberry, vanilla, cinnamon, basil, chili pepper, horseradish, or bacon. You can also try various candies, such as toffee. Combining chili pepper, horseradish and bacon for the best bloody mary you have ever tasted. Combining orange peels and cinnamon for a sitting-by-the-fire-during-a-snowstorm feel. For a more Christmas-y vibe, combine cranberries and a vanilla pod. Combining mangoes, pineapple and passionfruit—you’ll feel like you’re sitting on a white sand beach drinking the most delicious cocktail you’ve ever had. See the Tips section for more ideas. Get the right amount of the ingredient you will be infusing your vodka with. Vodka (as anyone who has drunk it knows) has quite a distinct taste. In order to beat out the natural flavor with the ingredient you’ve chosen, you’ll need to get the right amount of fruit, spice, etc. Use the following guidelines for infusing about one liter of vodka. If infusing your vodka fruit, use one to three pieces, depending on the size of the fruit. Aim for about two large apples’ worth; one is usually enough for larger fruits (i. e. grapefruit), but you’ll need three to four for smaller fruits (apricots, plums, etc. ) If infusing fresh herbs, use one to three fist-fulls of the herb, depending on its potency. Use about half as much when using dried herbs or spices. If infusing your vodka with berries, add at least a cup of the berries (but feel free to add more. ) If infusing with peppers, use as many as you want. The more you use and the longer you infuse, the spicier the end product will be.
Slice fruits finely to increase their surface area and speed up the infusion, removing any pits, seeds, or stems. If you are using larger fruit like mangoes or pineapple, cut the fruit up into large chunks. When using citrus like oranges or lemons, use a peeler to separate the colorful part of the peel from the pith (the white part of the peel. ) The pith is bitter and could add some unwanted bitterness to your vodka. Leave berries whole, but bruise them slightly by very gently squeezing them and removing any stems. Crush herbs gently, as it will help to release their flavor. If you are using vanilla beans, slice the bean from top to bottom, keeping the top intact (it should create an upside down ‘V’ shape. ) Create a cut down the center of any peppers you might use. However, do not make too deep of a cut as the seeds need to stay inside the pepper. For bacon vodka, you are actually using the bacon fat and not the actual bacon. Cook several strips of bacon and then drain the bacon fat. For one (750ml) bottle of vodka, you need 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. [4] X Research source
The relative proportions of each ingredient, if you’re using more than one, are a matter of personal preference.
Some advice will recommend two weeks or more infusion time, but this is only necessary for a large restaurant-size batch. A week is plenty of time for a liter of vodka to infuse properly. [8] X Expert Source Ollie George CiglianoPrivate Chef & Food Educator Expert Interview. 31 January 2022. Leaving the infusion for too long can give the vodka a bitter taste. If that’s not what you’re looking for, avoid doing this. [9] X Expert Source Ollie George CiglianoPrivate Chef & Food Educator Expert Interview. 31 January 2022.
The reason you should strain the ingredients out of your vodka is that if you leave the ingredients in, the flavor might become too strong (no one wants to drink vodka that has been infused with chili peppers for a month. ) Don’t throw the ingredients away. If you used fruit to infuse your vodka, you can actually eat them. [11] X Expert Source Ollie George CiglianoPrivate Chef & Food Educator Expert Interview. 31 January 2022. They will be packed with fruity vodka flavor (just make sure you don’t eat them before you drive. )
Keep the dispenser upright––if you turn it upside down all the liquid will spray out; the upside down glass is to catch any stray spray from overzealous trigger squeezing.
