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Hello everyone!  Today’s contribution is brought to you by Stevie Rose of Garden Therapy.  Thanks Stevie!  Not only is Stevie an inspiration to those in the DIY world, she an inspiration to me personally.  With so much creativity it is impossible to stay away Stevie’s blog, Facebook page, Pinterest account, Etsy store and I love tweeting with Stevie on Twitter. From posts on gardening, natural skincare, canning, preserving, down to  free printable labels for your jammy creations, Stevie’s enthusiasm is guaranteed to inspire!

Berry Infused Vodka

If you grow a lot of your own produce, it’s that time of year where we are getting down to the end of the food stores.  While I do love having frozen berries around all winter, they start to taste much less delicious after about 6 months so if there are any left by now, I start using them creatively.  I have my fair share of jam so I thought the best way to use up the remaining berries was to flavour vodka.

To infuse vodka, macerate 3-4 cups of berries per 40oz bottle of vodka.  You don’t need fancy expensive vodka, just basic brands are fine as you’ll add the complex flavour with the berries.  You can also add a few strips of lemon rind, being careful to ensure there is no pith.  A vanilla bean would also go wonderfully with the berries.

Pour vodka over berries in a mason jar, screw on a lid and leave in a cool dark place for 3 days to a week.  Strain off liquid and use the berries in a boozy adults-only crumble or muffin recipe.  Store the infused vodka in the freezer so it’s ice cold when you are ready to make cocktails.

Serve berry-infused vodka as a martini or with soda and some simple syrup.  Garnish with lemon, ginger, or mint for a variety of interesting cocktails.

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I know, infusing vodka at home is  nothing new, but it is new to me and it has been quite an adventure!  To begin my vodka-infusing journey I began to experiment with savory  herbs, specifically, rosemary, thyme and sage. All you need is to follow a few steps and in no time you will be creating stylish cocktails with depth of flavor and flair.

Biergarten Sage

This past weekend I took a bottle of homemade biergarten (beer garden) sage-infused vodka out of the freezer and stared at it for a long moment.  What does one do with sage vodka anyway?  After searching for cocktail recipes I found that many feature sage as an ingredient, but not many actually showcase sage-infused vodka and especially vodka infused with biergarten sage.

Since I tend to lean toward non-sweet drinks I decided to experience sage vodka very simply and enjoy it martini-style.  Typically, martinis are stirred not shaken, but I found that the sage vodka didn’t become cloudy when shaken vigorously with ice and a little lemon juice.

Biergarten Sage Martini

If you love the taste of dirty martinis I think you will enjoy the taste of sage vodka.

• squeeze of fresh lemon juice 
• 2 oz homemade sage-infused vodka 
• Garnish- sage flowers, sage leaf, lemon twist

Fill shaker with ice, squeeze in fresh lemon juice.  Add vodka and shake until very cold.  Strain cocktail into a small chilled martini glass.  Add garnish.

Have you made your own vodka infusions?  If so, I’d love to hear about what you have made and various cocktail recipes! 

TIPS: Store vodka and martini glasses in the freezer.

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Poor me, right?

Today was a day I didn’t mind cleaning out my refrigerator because little did I know there was a yummy surprise waiting for me.

As I was getting rid of old leftovers and composting lettuce that turned into (ahem) liquid, I found a glass dish hiding behind a Costco-sized mayonnaise jar. As I slowly removed the lid off of the container I was immediately expecting a foul and putrid odor to waft out. With one eye open I quickly peeked under the lid and immediately realized it was pineapple I had doused with vodka and a splash of triple sec weeks ago, May 5th to be exact. 

Although my intention was to eat the pineapple at the time I’m happy to have let it sit for so long because it made the most delicious pineapple infused vodka.  Because of my strong sense of smell and even stronger gag reflex I’m so happy my kitchen didn’t smell rank, it smelled like Maui, almost Juicy Fruit-ish my friends. Ah, yes, of only every day could begin like this. Score!

Pineapple Infused Vodka (the Woops! version):

• Cut up one whole pineapple
• Throw in a glass container
• Pour approximately 1 cup of vodka over the top
• Sprinkle with triple sec, approximately 1/8 cup
• Cover
• Place in refrigerator for 19 days (that’s how long mine was in there, haha)
• Strain through a colander
• Strain again through a coffee filter
• Pour into pint-sized container
• Top off with more vodka
• Throw in the freezer

Should I try it with strawberries next? What’s your favorite infusion?  :-)