Boozed + Infused

Infusing liqueurs at home with inspiring and seasonal ingredients

Tag Archives: vodka


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Mushroom Vodka… I’m not kidding

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!

Related Post:

Maple Mushroom Martini


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Oatmeal & Brown Sugar Booze – why oatmeal is not just for breakfast anymore!

How do you like your oatmeal? Do you like it with cream and brown sugar? How about raisins and walnuts? Even if you don’t normally eat or care for oatmeal, I have a feeling you will like this…

I was inspired by an Oat and Honey Vodka recipe from Chow, which lists that it is adapted from Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

I have trouble following directions, so I didn’t follow the recipe. I really love brown sugar in my oatmeal, so we adapted it accordingly. It was hard to keep myself from putting dried cranberries and walnuts in there, but we wanted to be able to try this on its own first.

Oatmeal & Brown Sugar Booze

1 c. rolled oats

1 1/2 c. vodka

2/3 c. brandy

1/4 c. packed light brown sugar

We infused this for about 9 days, then strained and filtered well.

We did not refrigerate as the Chow recipe indicates. With the portions of ingredients we used, it was not necessary.

The oatmeal gives it a creamy flavor, and it is delicious! We have not tried it in cocktails yet, but this recipe from Chow says to add half-and-half for a Quaker Shaker.

Maybe the true inspiration for this is my college reunion (which I am not attending)… our mascot was the Quaker. Here’s a toast to dear old Penn!

Give this one a try. You won’t regret it.


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Carrotini – time to drink your vegetables!

Ok, so I know I have a problem coming up with good cocktail names. But regardless of the name, this was delicious.

Carrotini

2 oz. Carrot Vodka

1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth

Crystalized Ginger

Place Carrot Vodka, dry vermouth, and about 1/2 Tablespoon chopped crystalized ginger in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Place approximately 1/2 teaspoon of chopped crystalized ginger in the bottom of a chilled martini glass. Strain the liquids into the glass and garnish with more ginger, or a slice of carrot.

The sweetness of the carrots come out nicely in this drink. We thought fresh ginger would overpower the gentle carrot flavor, so opted for crystalized ginger which also lends a bit more sweetness.

There will be many more uses for this carrot goodness…

Cheers!


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Carrot Vodka

I’m convinced that adding booze makes anything delicious! That kind of makes it sound like I have a problem…

I love carrots, especially raw carrots. Infusing cucumbers in vodka worked so well, we thought we’d give carrots a try!

Carrot Vodka

2-3 medium carrots, peeled

1 1/4 c. vodka (or enough to cover your carrots)

After discarding the outer peel of the carrots, continue to peel them until the whole carrot has turned into thin strips. Place in jar, and lightly press into place. Cover with vodka (or your choice of spirit) and infuse until it reaches your desired taste. We infused for about 9-10 days.

Strain and filter the liquid and enjoy! The result is a little cloudy, just a hint of pale orange, but deliciously tastes like sweet carrots. It is not over powering. This will be great in a number of cocktails… Bloody Mary?

We had been wanting to do a carrot infusion for a while, then really got some inspiration from Good Booze with their Carrot Top. They infused carrots in rye, which I’m sure is fabulous.

Happy spring and happy sipping!

Carrot Vodka on Punk Domestics


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Kiwi Liqueur

I wanted to do a kiwi liqueur for St. Patrick’s Day. I thought that the green fruit would produce a green liqueur.

I was wrong. It’s not green. Not even remotely. The good news is that it’s delicious.

Kiwi Liqueur

9 kiwi (peeled and sliced)

3 c. vodka

3-4 TB Simple Syrup (or to taste)

Place the kiwi and vodka in a large jar and keep in a dark place for about 4 weeks. Strain and filter the kiwi out, and add 3 to 4 Tablespoons of simple syrup, or until it reaches your desired taste.

At this point, I got a little frustrated. I thought that I had filtered the liquid well enough, but there was a thick sludge in the bottom of the jar. So I let this sit around for another month while I stewed about it…

Finally, I decided to filter it again. I doubled the coffee filters and changed them several times during the process. I even had to just toss out about a half cup of the liquid that was just too thick to even try to put through the coffee filters.

The result is a pale yellow, and surprisingly clear liquid!

The additional month since the first filtration gave the liqueur some time to mellow, and it tastes pretty good. I think it will continue to get even smoother.

So far we have only tried this on its own. Any cocktail suggestions?

Cheers!

Kiwi Liqueur on Punk Domestics


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Mango Liqueur

Sorry the posts have been a little less frequent for the past week or two. I have been traveling like crazy. As my husband and I checked into a hotel on Saturday, I remarked that it was the 6th bed I had slept in for the week. Yes, the sixth. Four different hotels, one night in my own bed, and a short stay at my sister’s house. Needless to say, there has been lots of work, lots of fun, and just a lot going on!

I have just returned home after a weekend on San Juan Island in Washington State. We had some amazing weather and even got to see a group of Orca Whales. Very exciting.

Ok, now back to the booze…

Mango Liqueur

2 Mangos – peeled, pits removed, and sliced

2 c. Vodka

2 TB Thick Simple Syrup (or to taste)

Infuse the mango in vodka for approximately 3-4 weeks. Strain and filter, then add the simple syrup. Age for another 2-3 weeks for the flavors to mellow.

When we first filtered this, the mango flavor was a bit bitter. But as with many fruit liqueurs, the flavors mellow with some time and rest. This is finally ready to drink. I’m happy to report that I’m enjoying a delicious cocktail with this liqueur as I write this.

Cheers!

Mango Liqueur on Punk Domestics


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Tropics in the Winter Part 2 – Coconut Liqueur

I thought I better get this posted before we reach the end of winter! For those of you who are in warmer climates, it may be a bit late to infuse this and enjoy it before we hit spring. But for those of you in colder regions, you may still have some time… sorry. When I lived in Maine, I would always take a tropical vacation this time of year to escape the cold weather, as we still had plenty of time for snow before we hit spring (mud season).

Coconut Liqueur

3 c. Vodka (or Rum would work very nicely)

2 c. chopped/shredded coconut

6 Tablespoons Thick Simple Syrup (or to taste)

Crack and drain one coconut, then cut away the brown shell. Place the white coconut flesh in a food processor and pulse until shredded/chopped to a fairly fine grain. If you do not have a food processor you could try grating it.

Place 2 cups of the shredded coconut in the vodka and let infuse for approximately 3 weeks. At that time, add 4 TB thick simple syrup and let infuse for another 2 weeks. After a total of 5 weeks, strain the coconut and add more sweetener to your taste. I added another 2 TB of simple syrup, for a total of 6 TB. At first I thought that this was heavy on the alcohol taste, but after sitting for just a day I think this tastes perfect.

You may be able to infuse in a shorter time if you use more coconut.

Etched "Boozed + Infused" bottleThe end result for this coconut liqueur is milky white and delicious. It isn’t overly sweet, and tastes strongly of coconut. This will be great by itself, or added to cocktails. (I think it will be perfect for some upcoming cocoa and nut infusions we are working on.)

Unfortunately the color of the liqueur masks the etching on this bottle. This was a gift from my sister, etched with “Boozed + Infused”.

Simple Syrup

In many of my recipes, I list “thick simple syrup”. When I use this term, I typically have used 2/3 c. of sugar and 1/2 c. of water. I bring this to a boil on the stove and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely before adding to your recipe. If you have extra left over, you can save this in a glass jar in the refrigerator for a few weeks.


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Chocolate Infused Cherry Cocktail

My love of cherries has been no secret. The pale beauties in this drink come from the preserved cherries we made last summer. They feature the Queen Anne or Royal Anne cherries. The flavor of the Royal Anne cherry is very delicate. They might just be my favorite cherry.

We preserved the Royal Anne cherries in a variety of sugary/boozy mixtures. One of which was a simple syrup with Creme de Cacao. It gave just a hint of chocolate flavor to the sweet cherries.

I like chocolate martinis, but typically the clear variety. I much prefer it to the thick, creamy, syrupy versions. My chocolate martini consists of equal parts vanilla vodka and white creme de cacao. So for this drink, we added a hint of cherry.

Chocolate Infused Cherry Cocktail

1 oz Vanilla Vodka

1 oz White Creme de Cacao

1 oz Cherry Bourbon or Cherry Brandy

Creme de Cacao infused preserved cherries (or brandied cherries)

Shake all ingredients with ice, and pour into chilled or frosted martini glasses. Garnish with Creme de Cacao infused cherries.

Of course this would be delicious with brandied cherries instead of the Creme de Cacao cherries. And any cherry brandy or cherry liqueur would work well in place of the cherry bourbon. This gives a nice light mix of cherry and chocolate without either flavor overpowering.

Cheers!


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Hibiscus Brandy

Want to try something new and different? How about Hibiscus Brandy?

If you have ever had hibiscus tea, you know that Hibiscus flowers are a strong and refreshingly different flavor. Hibiscus tea is supposed to be quite good for your health (blood pressure, cholesterol), although I’m not sure if the alcohol negates that…

Hibiscus Brandy

2 c. brandy

1/3 c. dried hibiscus flowers

simple syrup

Place the dried flowers and brandy in a jar or glass vessel, and place in a dark location. This infuses fairly quickly. As always, I tend to infuse for a long time to see how the flavors change and enhance. I let this infuse for about 2 weeks before straining out the flowers. The color is very deep and vibrant (the photo doesn’t really do it justice).  After removing the flowers, I added about 1/4 c. of a thick simple syrup and let the infusion sit for another 2 weeks.

With only 1/4 of simple syrup, this is very strong. It is probably not something you would want to drink on its own… however, it is winter – citrus season. Hibiscus and citrus go great together. Cocktail recipes for this liqueur will be forthcoming, so go out and get yourself some hibiscus flowers and start infusing!

Can’t find hibiscus flowers? Try the Homebrew Exchange. They sell online, as well as having a storefront in North Portland.

You could also make quite a tasty liqueur with any loose leaf hibiscus tea that you can find at your local store or tea shop.


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Apple Liqueur

If you are interested in trying a simple liqueur and don’t know where to start, apples are a great ingredient. The photo above may appear to be tart green apples, but these are actually a sweet green apple, picked from my parents’ farm.

Ingredients:

Apples, sliced and cored

Brandy

Vodka

Place apple slices in a canning jar or glass vessel with a lid. Use equal parts brandy and vodka, using enough to cover your apples.

Infuse until the liquid reaches your desired taste. I let this infuse for about 4 weeks. The combination of sweet apples and brandy gave a great apple flavor, with no need for any sugars or additional sweeteners.  After infusing, strain and filter the liqueur. Bottle and enjoy!

Apples can really be used with any spirit. Looking to use up a spiced rum? We were… see below.

Related Posts:

Apple Pie Bourbon

Caramel Apple Liqueur

Apple Liqueur on Punk Domestics