Words by Lauren Kassien
Want an easy — and cheap — way to amp up the liquor cabinet? Look no further than the pantry. Infusing spirits with everyday kitchen ingredients and those available at the local farmers’ market is a great way to add flavor, color and a personal touch to cocktails. Here’s how to get mixing.
- Pick your poison. Mid-priced liquors are best for infusions. (No matter how many herbs are added, it won’t be enough to cover the furniture-polish flavor of bottom-shelf booze.) Vodka works as a great base because it lacks a strong taste of its own. Blake Brown, a bartender at Table 128 in Clive, Iowa, suggests pairing it with classic ingredients. “For the beginning bartender, start with herbs like mint, basil and thyme. They are safe and flavorful,” he says. Other spirits can be a bit riskier. Gin already packs a hardy punch, so it’s best mixed with light and crisp ingredients like basil, fennel, cucumber and citrus. When working with whiskey, play off the alcohol’s natural sweet-and-smoky taste. Add similar flavors such as vanilla bean, cocoa, cinnamon and coffee, or fresh fruits like apple or cherry.
- Prep the mix-ins. There’s no recipe for how much of an ingredient to put in the liquor, but Brown recommends starting small. “Use just a few leaves of herb at a time,” he says. “You can always add but [you] can’t take away.” The general guideline is for every three cups of alcohol, choose to stir in two cups of fruit, four sprigs of fresh herbs, or three tablespoons of dried spice. When using herbs, Brown suggests giving them a light smack with your hand before adding to the infusion. “This releases the essential oils, which is important for imparting flavor,” he says. Fruit and vegetable mix-ins should be coarsely chopped with the skins left on. Spices can be included as-is, but if they’ve been hanging out in the back of a cabinet for a while, it’s easy to wake up their flavor by toasting them in a frying pan over medium heat until fragrant. If you aren’t sure whether a combo works, do a test: Muddle a little of your chosen ingredients in a glass, add a splash of alcohol, then taste it. “You must always trust your own palate when working with drinks,” Brown says. “The bottom line is: Does this taste good to you?”
- Mix it all together. Put the chosen ingredients in a wide-mouthed, resealable glass container, such as a mason jar, then top with alcohol until the container is two-thirds full. Seal tightly and refrigerate the mixture. To help the flavors meld, give the jar a hardy shake at least once a day. There’s no right amount of time to let the ingredients sit — some mix-ins, like fresh herbs and vanilla beans, release their flavors right away, while dried spices can take several weeks. Brown says he tastes his infusions by the hour, but daily works, too. “Once it tastes right, strain the plant immediately to keep the flavor where you want it,” he says.
So, you’re officially the proud owner of a bottle of homemade infused booze. Now what?
- Mix it into a favorite cocktail. Vodkas spiced with peppers work well in bloody marys. Fruity combos brighten up simple drinks like screwdrivers. Infused gins add a unique twist to the classic dirty martini.
- Add a splash of soda water for a sparkling beverage that’s refreshing and easy to sip.
- Brown recommends using the leftover mix-ins to create a simple syrup, which can be used to make other creative cocktails. “Usually one cup of sugar to one cup of water brought to a boil with a handful of herbs makes a tasty syrup,” he says.
- Enjoy it straight. (You know you want to.)
