I don’t know if you will believe me, but Mushroom Vodka is actually delicious!
I struggled with what kind of mushrooms to infuse, and what spirit to put them in. Many of you who are not vodka fans, but our intent was to try to leave the mushroom flavor to stand on its own. We didn’t want to mask the mushroom or interfere with the flavors it was infusing into the booze. Vodka seemed the best way to do that.
As for the mushrooms, I have heard a few accounts of infusing candy cap mushrooms, which apparently give a slightly sweet, maple-like flavor to the alcohol. I also found one reference to using porcini mushrooms. I have never had candy cap mushrooms, and truthfully, I was too lazy to go looking for them. I happen to love chanterelles, so that was what we infused.
Mushroom Vodka
1/4 cup Dried Chanterelle Mushrooms (a bit overflowing)
1 cup Vodka
Combine ingredients in a jar, seal and infuse for about 3 days. Strain.
Now we need to figure out what kind of cocktail we would like to use this in. We will probably do something simple, to appreciate the mushroom flavor. It is slightly sweet, and has subtly mellowed the vodka a bit.
Please let us know if you infuse any mushrooms and feel free to send us your cocktail suggestions.
Cheers!
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April 19, 2012 at 6:45 pm
neat idea and another one I’ll take a whack at myself. there’s a local NorCal mushroom grower at my farmers market who has all manner of fungi. I’ll see what he has this time of year, and dust off my dehydrator!
the closest thing I’ve had was a black truffle vodka made by Modern Spirits. it kind of missed the mark.
April 19, 2012 at 6:51 pm
Thanks, I will be interested to hear what you end up making. I think people have a tendency to think anything made with truffles would have to be delicious, but they don’t belong in everything. Hard to know until you try it! I was nervous in making this infusion (hence the ultra-small batch). But I’m very glad I did.
April 19, 2012 at 6:54 pm
Mmmm, I’ll bet mushroom infused bourbon then mixed with Cointreau or just a touch of orange bitters would be outstanding!
April 19, 2012 at 6:59 pm
You may be right… Bourbon is amazing for infusions. I think I appreciate it more each time we infuse something with it. So, I think mushroom-bourbon will have to be on our list… and the orange bitters sounds tasty. Thanks!
April 20, 2012 at 3:54 am
I’ve done a mushroom bourbon before. It’s delish! However, I simply drank it straight instead of going the cocktail route. If I did it again I’d probably do a Mushroom Manhattan.
I’ll have to give mushroom vodka a try though.
April 20, 2012 at 7:30 am
great! I was thinking I might like to do a mushroom bourbon, and a Manhattan sound perfect. Do you Remember what kind of mushrooms you used?
April 19, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Mmmm, mushroom infused bourbon on the rocks with a dash of orange bitters sounds really good! I’m inspired now.
April 20, 2012 at 6:12 am
Crazy, but chanterelles are the right choice- sweet flavor…
April 20, 2012 at 9:28 am
Reblogged this on La Chica Hungry and commented:
This girl is amazing. First carrot vodka and now mushroom. What will she think up next! Kudos to “Boozed and Infused” for AMAZING creativity!
April 21, 2012 at 9:08 am
Thanks for the lovely compliment!
April 20, 2012 at 10:41 am
I used to do a chanterelle mushroom-infused vodka for a cocktail I had at my old job. I spent a long time trying to find the right vodka for it, because I wanted something that was a bit unctuous a flavorful in its own right. Something early. I ended up settling on Karlsson’s Gold (If you aren’t familiar, you should go out and get some).
I tried a few different infusions, but ultimately found a heavy mushroom infusion (like the one you show here) to be a bit too much like rubbing mud in my face. I was going for something more delicate. Eventually I settled on a light chanterelle infusion along with pink peppercorns. This got served with a little Cocchi Americano, stirred and strained into a martini glass, garnished with a cocktail onion. It was delicious.
I’d love to find other uses for mushrooms in cocktails. I definitely like the mushroom manhattan idea. I’d also love to play around with infusing a scotch for a mushroom rob roy. Some scotches (Springbank, for example) are already quite earthy and might take nicely to it.
April 21, 2012 at 9:06 am
I have not tried Karlsson’s Gold – will have to add it to the list. As for the chanterelle’s in vodka, If needed, I can thin this out a bit. I like the sound of the pink peppercorns, and your cocktail with the Cocchi Americano. Sounds very interesting.
April 22, 2012 at 11:03 am
I have only had one mushroom infused spirit and that was several years ago at the Bomba Shack in Tortola B.V.I. where I tried the mushroom rum tea that they have a full moon parties. I still cannot recall the three days that followed the party so you can guess the mushrooms were not Chanterelles or anything else you can “legally” acquire at your local grocer.
For your concoction I am thinking two applications:
1 – A Chanterelle Martini pairing the infusion with a herbaceous gin (like Blue Coat). Go heavy on the infused vodka so the gin does not drown out the subtle sweet earth mushroom flavor (say 4 parts vodka to 1 part gin — stirred not shaken!) Maybe garnish with a goat cheese stuffed Cremni mushroom to highlight the earth notes.
2 – Cook with it! Sautéed Mushrooms with Penne pasta in Mushroom Vodka Cream Sauce. Use a mix of mushrooms to create a balance of light and meaty textures in the dish.
April 22, 2012 at 11:09 am
Ok, I’m cracking up… yeah, probably not chanterelles…
April 22, 2012 at 11:48 am
Pretty sure they weren’t Portabella or Oyster mushrooms either … LOL! It was definitely a mind expanding experience but something I would only do once. If you are in Tortola during the full moon give a try but be careful. Hallucinogenic mushrooms are legal but by no means a mild infusion addition to your spirits.
April 22, 2012 at 11:19 am
I missed the recipes suggestions before – sorry! They sound great… I think I’ll have to try out both of them – yum!
April 22, 2012 at 11:49 am
Cool! Let us know how they work out.
April 24, 2012 at 7:56 am
i luv mushrooms and i luv vodka — how could you go wrong?
April 24, 2012 at 5:58 pm
thanks Jereme… My thoughts exactly!
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