Credit: Danny Kim
Associate web editor Rochelle Bilow may work on the internet, but when it comes to cooking, she prefers to keep it old-school. From making her own butter (seriously) to grinding her coffee beans by hand, Bilow’s all about doing things the slow way. This week, she’s infusing cheap booze for DIY flavored vodka. Fun!
I love a good drink, but until now my rule has been: Beer and wine at home, cocktails at the bar. Why invest in a dozen bottles of liquor that will get used twice a month? Besides, cocktails are labor-intensive: All that measuring, shaking, and sitting! But here is what I have recently discovered: Cocktails at home in your pajamas are amazing.
There’s something so smugly satisfying about drinking a martini on Sunday night without having to put on pants. Plus, the bottle will pay for itself after just a handful of drinks at home. This is even true for the really good stuff. But there’s one alcohol I refuse to pay top-dollar for, and that’s vodka. I just can’t taste the difference between high-brow and low-brow vodka. It all pretty much tastes like rubbing alcohol to me. (Rubbing alcohol that happens to combine very nicely with grapefruit juice and a salted rim.)
This is why I’ve been buying cheap bottles of vodka and adding my own flavors to them. Not only do I save money, I wind up with an end result that is about 1,000 times tastier than what I started with. Here’s how to flavor your own vodka at home.
1. Buy a Cheap Bottle
Seriously, go for the least-expensive bottle available. You’re only wasting money if you shell out for the top-shelf stuff. Remember that you’re going to layer in your own flavor, so you don’t want strong notes of floral, citrus, or whatever else the heck people claim straight vodka tastes like. The only thing to be mindful of is what the vodka is distilled from. It can be made with ingredients as varied as grains, potatoes, and even grapes. If you’re gluten-free, be sure that your vodka was not distilled from grains like wheat or barley.
Seriously, go for the least-expensive bottle available. You’re only wasting money if you shell out for the top-shelf stuff. Remember that you’re going to layer in your own flavor, so you don’t want strong notes of floral, citrus, or whatever else the heck people claim straight vodka tastes like. The only thing to be mindful of is what the vodka is distilled from. It can be made with ingredients as varied as grains, potatoes, and even grapes. If you’re gluten-free, be sure that your vodka was not distilled from grains like wheat or barley.
2. Secure Your Vessel
I always seem to have an abundance of quart and half-gallon wide mouth mason jars on hand. In addition to looking nice, they’re ideal for infusing alcohol. They won’t impart “off” flavors to the booze the way plastic would, and the wide mouth is big enough to accommodate whatever you’re going to infuse with. (An apple does not fit very neatly through the neck of a vodka bottle.)
I always seem to have an abundance of quart and half-gallon wide mouth mason jars on hand. In addition to looking nice, they’re ideal for infusing alcohol. They won’t impart “off” flavors to the booze the way plastic would, and the wide mouth is big enough to accommodate whatever you’re going to infuse with. (An apple does not fit very neatly through the neck of a vodka bottle.)
3. Prep Your Ingredients
As for what to infuse with, the sky’s the limit. Citrus and vodka are great friends (see: My love of the Salty Dog). Vanilla bean adds a warm and cozy flavor that’s nice when combined with simple syrup or maple. Chile peppers are awesome, if you can handle the heat. Herbs and spices are always welcome in my book, but use whole spices. Ground spices will turn the vodka murky and gritty. Right now, I’m infusing two bottles: One with cinnamon sticks, and another with beets.
As for what to infuse with, the sky’s the limit. Citrus and vodka are great friends (see: My love of the Salty Dog). Vanilla bean adds a warm and cozy flavor that’s nice when combined with simple syrup or maple. Chile peppers are awesome, if you can handle the heat. Herbs and spices are always welcome in my book, but use whole spices. Ground spices will turn the vodka murky and gritty. Right now, I’m infusing two bottles: One with cinnamon sticks, and another with beets.
Just keep yourself in check by asking: Would I actually want to drink this? Be sure to slice the citrus, split the vanilla bean, cut the chiles, bruise the herbs, and toast the spices first. This will help them release their flavor and fragrance into the alcohol. My general rule of thumb for proportions is a handful of “flavoring agents” for each quart of vodka. That translates to a split vanilla bean, 4-5 cinnamon sticks, the zest of 1-2 lemons or limes, and so-on. The good news is that if it’s not strong enough after the initial infusion period, you can always add more. I prefer not to sweeten the vodka, and just sweeten individual cocktails as I mix them. Here are some combinations to try:
1 cup cucumber slices + handful of dill
1-2 tablespoons star anise points + 1 vanilla bean
Small handful of crushed cardamom pods + ¼ cup fresh ginger
⅓ cup muddled blueberries + skin of 1 lime + zest of 1 lemon
⅓ cup cherries + ⅓ cup strawberries + mint
Infuse It
Add the infusion ingredients to your jar, fill with vodka, and cover tightly.Store on the countertop for anywhere from 3-7 days. The alcohol will preserve any fruits or veggies that should typically be stored in the fridge. Taste it periodically to assess whether it’s flavored enough for your liking.Shake the jar once or twice a day—be sure the lid is closed tightly—to help things get going. Fresh ingredients infuse more quickly than dried.
Add the infusion ingredients to your jar, fill with vodka, and cover tightly.Store on the countertop for anywhere from 3-7 days. The alcohol will preserve any fruits or veggies that should typically be stored in the fridge. Taste it periodically to assess whether it’s flavored enough for your liking.Shake the jar once or twice a day—be sure the lid is closed tightly—to help things get going. Fresh ingredients infuse more quickly than dried.
Strain It and Store It
Once the vodka is perfectly flavored, strain out the solid ingredients and discard them. If the vodka is still a little cloudy, strain it again before pouring it into a clean jar (you can just wash and reuse the infusing jar), and capping. Keep in mind that some ingredients, like beets, will color the liquid. That’s okay!
Once the vodka is perfectly flavored, strain out the solid ingredients and discard them. If the vodka is still a little cloudy, strain it again before pouring it into a clean jar (you can just wash and reuse the infusing jar), and capping. Keep in mind that some ingredients, like beets, will color the liquid. That’s okay!
Vodka made with perishable items, like fresh fruit or herbs, should be stored in the fridge. If you used shelf-stable items like dried spices or dried fruit, the vodka can be stored at room temperature.
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