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Liquid Communism posted:Anyone have any experience doing a tea-infused liquor? After reading this thread, I kind of want to do an infusion with this blood orange red tea I have a half pound of. I've done some sweet tea vodka with black tea, a green tea vodka sweetened with ginger simple syrup, and an orange spice with raw mexican sugar. I never let them infuse for more than three hours and they turned out great.
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Oct 12, 2011 19:46
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I have some brandy/apple/cinnamon and vodka/vanilla/cacao nibs infusing right now, and hope to put some vodka/vanilla/strawberries together tomorrow  . Looking forward to seeing how they turn out!
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Oct 14, 2011 21:12
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IANAE, but from reading this thread you may want to do the strawberries separate from the vanilla and then combine at the end. Vanilla seems to steep in days instead of weeks.
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Oct 14, 2011 22:06
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Chard posted:IANAE, but from reading this thread you may want to do the strawberries separate from the vanilla and then combine at the end. Vanilla seems to steep in days instead of weeks. This is really great advice and I suggest people follow it. If you're going to make a mixture of two or more ingredients, do them in different containers and blend the drink together according to taste. I ruined a good couple of jalapeno and _____ mixtures by doing them together, only to have the jalapeno just overpowering everything.
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Oct 15, 2011 12:02
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Jack Skeleton posted:This is really great advice and I suggest people follow it. If you're going to make a mixture of two or more ingredients, do them in different containers and blend the drink together according to taste. I ruined a good couple of jalapeno and _____ mixtures by doing them together, only to have the jalapeno just overpowering everything. I second this. Also, if you want jalapeno wahtever, make jalapeno whatever, but if you want just straight spicy without that weird green-bell-pepper vegetable flavor, i found that scotch bonnets make a much cleaner "spicy" note without the weird vegetableness. Incidentally, scotch bonnet in cheapo super-sweet whisky like Old Grandad or Thompson or Evan Willians is a fantastic combination.
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Oct 15, 2011 20:32
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So I found a half-bottle of spare Svedka this morning, and made that blood orange red tea infusion that I asked about earlier. Three minutes in a mason jar with a couple tablespoons of loose tea later, I've got some absolutely delicious tea-flavored vodka. Immediately mixed it with some lemonade, and now I'm down to a quarter bottle. 
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Oct 16, 2011 15:58
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Anyone infused flowers before? I'm thinking of doing elderflower when they come in (it's spring here) and maybe rose petal in summer.
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Oct 16, 2011 22:40
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They can work. They infuse better when they've been dried, in my experience, but you could also just through in some flowers and hope for the best. If you're using fresh flowers I would just barely cover them with vodka. With dried you can use substantially less. Fresh will take a week or two, dried will take a couple days.
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Oct 17, 2011 00:58
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Checking in re: pumpkin vodka. I was kvetching earlier about infusing just a can of Libby's pumpkin cooked a little bit in a saucepan. I have no doubt that it would've gone better if I'd used chunks of roasted pumpkin (and I totally will next time) but this is certainly serviceable, and kinda tasty, even before aging.
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Oct 17, 2011 02:31
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For the guy who wanted clear blueberry vodka. You could try agar/gelatin clarification like for a consomme. Let us know how it goes. http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2011/05/agar_clarification_a_clear_win.php
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Oct 17, 2011 06:18
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who's your crawdaddy posted:For the guy who wanted clear blueberry vodka. You could try agar/gelatin clarification like for a consomme. Let us know how it goes. That would take the flesh out but I thought the issue was the blue.
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Oct 17, 2011 07:07
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betaraywil posted:Checking in re: pumpkin vodka. You should be fine. That's how I did the pumpkin pictured. The only bitch part is that its going to take a long time to strain. And I mean long. Cheese strainers and coffee filters and squeezing the remains of that mofo time to strain out. Expect the color to be more bold than if you used roasted chunks. Which isn't bad and should be good for thanksgiving.
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Oct 17, 2011 08:49
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Was looking for this thread, went slightly mental summer before last and made a load. Conclusions were: Lime - Smells like washing up liquid, looks vile, tastes awesome. Should probably have cut the skin/pith off. Makes wicked screwdriver varients. Strawberry/Pepper - The reverse, looks amazing, smells amazing, barely tastes of anything. I think you'd need to dry or syrup the strawberries, fresh ones have waaaay too much water in. Blackberry - Wicked colour, tastes alright. Basil - Sweetened with brown sugar which gives a really weird colour and mouth-feel. Best in Bloody Mary's. Mint - Same as basil, but less good with tomato juice. Raisin/Cinnamon/Honey - Fan-loving-tastic. Only takes a few days to infuse (I think it was 5 days with raisins, cinnamon added on day 3) Gonna try a quick batch of this for Friday. Peanut - Only one thing in this world tastes worse than peanut-flavoured vodka. That one thing is vodka-soaked peanuts. Euch.
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Oct 17, 2011 21:21
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Kenning posted:They can work. They infuse better when they've been dried, in my experience, but you could also just through in some flowers and hope for the best. If you're using fresh flowers I would just barely cover them with vodka. With dried you can use substantially less. Fresh will take a week or two, dried will take a couple days. Thanks. I might skip the elderflowers (elderflower cordial ahoy) and just play with roses in summer.
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Oct 17, 2011 21:56
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slinkimalinki posted:Thanks. I might skip the elderflowers (elderflower cordial ahoy) and just play with roses in summer. I know it's not a flower but if you like elder try using the berries. I have just filtered and lightly sweetened my elderberry vodka and it tastes amazing! It's going to be an exercise in self-restraint letting it age.
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Oct 17, 2011 23:37
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Try the blackberry as a reduction with cinnamon, cloves, lemon, and honey.
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Oct 18, 2011 02:46
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What are everyone's thoughts on using frozen fruits for infusions? I would love to do a strawberry infusion to pair with my basil liqueur, but strawberries are way out of season here in increasingly chilly Ontario. I'm a little concerned that frozen berries will be too watery.
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Oct 18, 2011 03:23
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Frozen is actually good, the ice crystals pop the cells and you can infuse more quickly. Water content should be about the same, and the frozen stuff should be closer to ripe than the stuff you can get fresh right now
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Oct 18, 2011 05:36
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I concur. And since you're going to be using higher proof alcohol to infuse, watering it down a little isn't going to ruin it.
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Oct 18, 2011 06:24
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Kenning posted:I would definitely recommend aging it at least a couple weeks before sweetening. Also make sure you filter the poo poo out of that, you don't want grounds in your liqueur. Thanks for this, I let it go for a week and the flavours mellowed out a lot. I mixed 100g sugar in 250ml hot water, then mixed it in to the approx 300ml of spirit I had. This is freaking delicious. There's still room for improvement - The coffee doesn't come through as much as I'd like, next time I do this I might give the coffee 3 or 4 days head start on the vanilla.
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Oct 18, 2011 08:35
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Jack Skeleton posted:I concur. And since you're going to be using higher proof alcohol to infuse, watering it down a little isn't going to ruin it. What if I'm just using regular vodka? Should I be concerned? (It's difficult to get higher-proof alcohol at the Hamilton LCBOs...)
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Oct 18, 2011 16:23
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Nah, it'll still be fine. You probably aren't trying to make a really dry high-proof liqueur anyway, although I'm sure you could find 100 proof vodka around. Smirnoff sells it (in a bottle with blue labels instead of red).
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Oct 18, 2011 19:35
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Bonus tip: After infusing berries save them to use in drinks and/or freeze and eat to get positively blasted on frozen fruit. I've done this with gin blueberries.
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Oct 18, 2011 19:43
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Strom Cuzewon posted:Strawberry/Pepper - The reverse, looks amazing, smells amazing, barely tastes of anything. I think you'd need to dry or syrup the strawberries, fresh ones have waaaay too much water in. Season/ripeness of the strawberries makes a huge difference here. Using locally grown strawberries that were in season, I got incredibly strong strawberry flavor. It just depends on the quality of produce.
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Oct 18, 2011 21:01
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Dogfish posted:What if I'm just using regular vodka? Should I be concerned? (It's difficult to get higher-proof alcohol at the Hamilton LCBOs...)
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Oct 18, 2011 23:33
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My brother and his friends made a habanero infusion with about ten unseeded habaneros in a half gallon of Skyy. And left it for ten months in the trunk of a car. That bottle remains one of the most violent things ever to happen to a bloody mary. But so right. Funny aside to that story, when they were retrieving it out of the trunk, it was game night, and a drunken reveler walked by and yelled HEY MAN GIMME A SHOT. So they did. And I guess that dude danced one of the most jigginest jigs a man ever danced. Probably kind of mean-spirited, but he didn't care! I'm thinking of doing a Christmas rum infusion now, in order to give it a good six weeks before the peak of the holiday season. Does anybody have any suggestions for some good base rums? Don't really want to start out with some cloying Captain Morgan crap. Jonny 290 fucked around with this message at 11:05 on Oct 19, 2011 |
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Oct 19, 2011 10:58
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Jonny 290 posted:I'm thinking of doing a Christmas rum infusion now, in order to give it a good six weeks before the peak of the holiday season. Does anybody have any suggestions for some good base rums? Don't really want to start out with some cloying Captain Morgan crap. Yeah, don't do a spiced rum. It'll fight with the flavors you're trying to add. Otherwise, rule of thumb applies: middle of the road, something you'd mix, but not something you'd shoot and then shake your head and sputter. I did honeydew and cantaloupe in Baccardi a few months back and it was well-received.
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Oct 19, 2011 12:38
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So I'm thinking of making a hot pepper infusion with 100 proof stoli. For cooking with, basically. And because someone bought the stuff for a party and no one is gonna drink it now, haha. Should I de-seed the peppers first? Will this infuse pretty quickly with fresh peppers? Would it be better to use dry? Is this just a loving stupid idea? Lyssavirus fucked around with this message at 16:20 on Oct 19, 2011 |
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Oct 19, 2011 16:18
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It's not so much about de-seeding the peppers as de-ribbing them. It's the ribs on the inside that contain the highest amount of capsaicin, and it just happens that that's where the seeds are located. I'd recommend getting rid of the ribs so you can get the highest possible flavor:heat ratio. It'll still be plenty hot, don't worry. Fresh will infuse plenty fast, as will dry. It won't take more than a couple days probably, almost certainly less than a week. Taste frequently, and be prepared to let it age a bit before it'll be ready to drink. Tastes good man.
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Oct 19, 2011 19:30
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Do it with bourbon. Bourbon and coriander. Ed. If you want to drink it. If you're just using it to cook, whatever.
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Oct 19, 2011 21:52
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Strom Cuzewon posted:Strawberry/Pepper - The reverse, looks amazing, smells amazing, barely tastes of anything. I think you'd need to dry or syrup the strawberries, fresh ones have waaaay too much water in. For what it's worth, I found that as long as you use a LOT of strawberries--seriously, quarter them, fill the whole jar, pour in vodka, shake it and see if you can fit in a little more--the flavor will come out beautifully, and it'll be a nice, tart, fresh strawberry. I also let that particular infusion go for three months. I've never tried it any other way, but it is very possible to get delicious fresh strawberry goodness into your liquor.
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Oct 21, 2011 19:19
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Jonny 290 posted:My brother and his friends made a habanero infusion with about ten unseeded habaneros in a half gallon of Skyy. My buddy and I just started our first infusions, and we really wanted to do a habanero vodka. We both like spice. We put 10, complete with seeds and ribs, in a quart. We'll get back to you when it's done/we've scraped the layer of dead skin out of our mouths.
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Oct 23, 2011 01:36
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You should let that steep about, oh, 45 minutes.
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Oct 23, 2011 01:39
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I'm working on a blackberry brandy to give as gifts around the holidays. The recipe had it steep for two months, and I'm just to the end of that (it will be filtered and aged in the next few days) It got a taste test yesterday, and I'm finding it has a bit too much alcoholic 'bite' to it, and I wouldn't mind a thicker texture. Any suggestions on how to improve this batch, or get said outcome in the future?
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Oct 24, 2011 03:52
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I'm a week-10 days into my various infusions, and today I did a little sampling to see how things were getting on. Cacao nibs/vanilla/vodka - I was curious and tried this a couple of days in, and it tasted very bitter - so I was pleasantly surprised to taste real chocolatey-ness today! Will be interesting to see how it develops over the coming weeks. Apple/Cinnamon/Brandy - I could only taste the cinnamon over the brandy, which is to be expected given the length of time fruit needs to steep. Raisin/Cinnamon/Vodka - this tasted really good, and I may filter it tomorrow Vanilla/Vodka - needs more time, I added more vodka to the jar a few days ago so this was fairly weak, but was on its way to tasting nice Didn't bother tasting the various strawberry and raspberry infusions since I only started them a few days ago. But I'm generally happy with where things are heading
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Oct 24, 2011 05:45
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Started a wild blackberry gin today, using frozen fruit. It immediately turned almost black  I cannot wait for that one to finish so I can sip it with tonic. Beautiful.
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Oct 24, 2011 05:49
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Robot Girlfriend posted:I'm working on a blackberry brandy to give as gifts around the holidays. The recipe had it steep for two months, and I'm just to the end of that (it will be filtered and aged in the next few days) It got a taste test yesterday, and I'm finding it has a bit too much alcoholic 'bite' to it, and I wouldn't mind a thicker texture. Any suggestions on how to improve this batch, or get said outcome in the future? If you don't mind it being a bit sweeter then make up some saturated sugar solution and dilute it to taste with that. This will give you the thick liqueur texture and help a little with the alcoholic bite. The harsher alcohol flavours should also be removed with ageing so don't worry about it too much. You can always dilute/sweeten to taste after you have aged it to remove any residual harshness. The first batch of sloe gin I made is ready but when I tasted it to sweeten it was clearly not sloe gin. I looked on the internet and went back to look at the tree and I have now realised that I have in fact made bullace gin. It is absolutely delicious with a lot of complex spicy flavour and I will now be making that every year I can. The batch that will be ready in a month or so is definitely sloe gin so it will be nice to compare them. I also turned the leftover bullaces from the infusion into a pot of delicious but very alcoholic jam. Definitely a desert jam not a breakfast jam but still very tasty! Notsoape; When I made the apple and cinnamon brandy I pulled the cinnamon out and let the apples infuse for a few extra weeks to get the combined flavour.
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Oct 24, 2011 13:46
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Ktb posted:If you don't mind it being a bit sweeter then make up some saturated sugar solution and dilute it to taste with that. This will give you the thick liqueur texture and help a little with the alcoholic bite. The harsher alcohol flavours should also be removed with ageing so don't worry about it too much. You can always dilute/sweeten to taste after you have aged it to remove any residual harshness. I added a little simple syrup to it (homemade sugar water), and it has a much richer texture and a more pleasant taste, great advice! (further tinkering will be done after aging.) I've also learned the harsh lesson not to absentmindedly snack on berries recently strained from your infusion. I have no idea what the hell I was thinking, but I walked away from the kitchen slurring.
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Oct 26, 2011 00:45
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Robot Girlfriend posted:I've also learned the harsh lesson not to absentmindedly snack on berries recently strained from your infusion. I have no idea what the hell I was thinking, but I walked away from the kitchen slurring. I fail to see a problem.
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Oct 26, 2011 16:15
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I like turtles posted:Bonus tip: After infusing berries save them to use in drinks and/or freeze and eat to get positively blasted on frozen fruit. I've done this with gin blueberries. Robot Girlfriend posted:I added a little simple syrup to it (homemade sugar water), and it has a much richer texture and a more pleasant taste, great advice! (further tinkering will be done after aging.) 
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Oct 26, 2011 16:26
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