When Colleen reminded me of our trip to a vodka bar that specialized in infusions, I was reminded of just how much better actual infusions are than the flavored vodkas that I've found in stores. Accordingly, I've been tinkering with doing a few infusions of our own. The first was an homage to one of the best offerings that that bar had to offer, a dill-infused vodka that some of you may remember.
The recipe for that one was, simply, a fifth of regular Stoli, a bunch of Just This Farm dill, and about ten days in a cool dark cabinet. The result was surprisingly sweet and went very well with Russian food.
Shroud pointed me toward Infusions of Grandeur, a website devoted to vodka infusions. The guys who run it have infused everything from vanilla to bacon to Peeps and have recorded the results for posterity.
My current infusion -- using Tito's vodka, per Michaelcoyote's recommendation -- is habañero vodka: three habañeros, cut into eighths. After a single day of infusion, the vodka has a very nice pepper flavor and plenty of heat. I might use one or two next time and let it infuse a little longer, but it's quite good. Drinking it straight is a pretty bracing experience. Colleen's thinking Bloody Marys; I'm thinking a bit of tropical fruit would make a killer summer martini.
All of which is a roundabout way of getting the topic rolling.... What are your favorite infusions -- either ones that you've done yourself, or ones that you've had elsewhere? They don't have to be vodka, of course; that's just my current choice....







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