I don’t like vodka. I prescribe to Ron Swanson’s policy on liquor: “Clear liquors are for rich women on a diet.” I am a whiskey girl through and through. However, I do enjoy shots every so often—even at home—and as a broke college student the best option for that is infused vodka.
If you want to make infused vodka at home, it’s not nearly as hard as you’d think. It’s actually pretty easy. And cheap. God, I love cheap liquor, even if it’s tequila and yields regretful nights.
Procure your items
Step one is simple: buy some cheap vodka. Step two? Buy the things you want to infuse it with.
#SpoonTip: Buy some cheap, bottom-shelf vodka (when I say cheap, I mean Burnett’s or Absolut) and run it through a Brita filter like seven times. It upgrades the quality to make your vodka taste better and makes your shots go down easier. Science.
After buying your ingredients, your next step is to procure your infusing vessel. Wow, that phrasing makes it sound high-born AF. But if you’re making your own infused vodka you wouldn’t generally fall into the category of “high-born” or upper class. Like, come on. You’re not reading this guide if you can afford to buy a bunch of flavored vodka.
I have a bunch of half-quart mason jars on hand at all times. I’m not 100% sure why, but I do. This is when I usually take the time to clean my infusion vessels.
#SpoonTip: Try using wide-mouth mason jars since they’re more accommodating and you can fit almost anything you want to infuse in it.
Prep Your Ingredients
The limit does not exist when it comes to ingredients and flavors with which you can infuse your vodka. However, always remember that citrus and vodka are the best of friends. Well, fruit and vodka tend to be friends anyway.
If you want to use herbs and spices instead of fruit (or something like vanilla beans) make sure you use whole spices. Ground spices will just make your vodka murky and no one wants to drink gritty vodka. Just bruise your herbs and toast your spices before infusing.
When you’re making a fruit infused vodka, you’re going to want to slice or cut the fruit up. This allows for more surface area to be exposed to the vodka and helps them release their flavors into the alcohol. If you have a vanilla bean you’ll want to split it to increase surface area.
A good rule of thumb to follow is a handful of infusing agents for every quart of infused vodka you want to make. If it’s not strong enough after the initial infusion, you can always add more and continue infusing.
Infuse the Vodka
Place your non-alcoholic ingredients in the mason jar and fill it with vodka. Seal tightly, store on the counter top for 3-7 days, and relax. Do not place in the fridge until it’s done infusing.
If you’re using fresh fruits (or god forbid, veggies) don’t worry about refrigeration. The alcohol will preserve the ingredients. Throughout the next few days, be sure to taste the infused vodka to see if the flavor is strong enough. And remember to shake the jar once or twice a day. Make it look like it’s headbanging. Just remember to make sure the lid is tightly closed.
#SpoonTip: Fresh ingredients infuse faster than dried.
Strain and Store
Once the infused vodka is flavored to your liking, strain and discard the ingredients. Unless it’s fruit, then just eat the fruit like a vodka gummy bear. I mean, that’s what I do. Waste not, want not.
If your vodka is still a little cloudy after this happens, strain it again and transfer it to a clean jar. Do remember that if you use an ingredient like beets, your infused vodka may retain the color. If you infused your vodka with dried ingredients, you can store it at room temperature. If you infused it with perishables, it has to go in the fridge.
Time to get schwasted.