In an insane fit of hospitality, I’m hosting a Russian-themed potluck on Saturday. For the occasion, I was thinking of making some cranberry vodka. Is there enough time for it to infuse and still taste halfway decent by Saturday night, or is that not the point? Any suggestions/recipes? (I’m not much of a drinker, let alone of vodka, but thought it would be festive and fitting for the ocasion. The idea of “tasty vodka” is just not one that can fit into my brain, but oh well - what’s a Russian-themed party with no vodka?)
Every infused vodka I’ve ever made needs to sit for a few weeks at least. And I’m not sure how cranberries would work at all - at the very least, you should crush some of them when you put them in. Those skins seem mighty tough.
From Cocktail Times
Cranberry Spice Infusion
- 1 bottle (750 ml) Fris Vodka
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 whole nutmeg, cracked
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seed, cracked
- 1/2 a whole vanilla bean
- 1/2stick cinnamon, cracked
- 6 whole allspice berries, cracked
Place cranberries and spices in an infusion jar and top with vodka. Let infuse for 2 - 3 days, then strain and place infused Fris Vodka in an attractive container.
And their general infusion tips:
Infusions timings will vary from batch to batch. Taste daily as fruits can reach different ripening points and the degrees of flavor in your ingredients will not always be consistent. When the flavor is too strong, simply dilute your infusion with more vodka used originally. If it’s too weak, add a little simple syrup or honey.
Allow 1 - 3 days for citrus fruits such as lemon, oranges, grapefruit, limes as well as apricots and sliced apples. For herbs such as mint, garlic, tarragon, basic, oregano, dill, thyme, start anise, kaffir and lime leaf, infuse just a day or two. Infuse 2 to 3 days for sliced chilis, horseradish, strawberries, pineapples, raspberries, pitted cherries, mangos, and blueberries. And it may takes as much as 5 days for the ingredients such as vanilla bean, fennel, pear apple, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, coconut, tomatoes, dried fruits, peaches, cucumbers, and ginger.
Hmm, maybe I just like my infusions to be really strong. I can’t really taste anything - including citrus - after just a few days.
It is my understanding that things move faster if the vodak is in a warm location. When I come across some fresh blueberries next spring, that is the infusion that I am going to try.
I must admit that a ginger infusion sounds very interesting.
That sounded so lovely that I’ve got a batch going right now in a big, glass iced tea jar. I’ll let you know how it goes over with the post-Soviets.