Spirit Infusions - Easy Recipes for Holiday Parties and Stocking Stuffers
Infusions have gotten a bit of a bad name recently, mostly because of Fireball. People think that their own will taste like antifreeze, or that it's difficult/time consuming to make so isn't worth it. People are wrong on both counts; in reality, infusing your own booze is easy and delicious. It will also be a big hit at parties, and you can do this in batches small enough to work for the white elephant gift exchange you're dreading.
What's an Infusion?
According to the dictionary, it's "a drink, remedy, or extract prepared by soaking the leaves of a plant or herb in liquid". Basically, liquid flavored by putting things in it. In the context of infused spirits, it's the same thing - the result of putting basically-whatever-you-want into booze for a while. I've talked about them before with my chai vodka and fall-spiced syrup.
How Do I Make One?
Put basically-whatever-you-want into booze for a while. Seriously. You won't be out too much booze, and you shouldn't be using the expensive stuff anyway, so get adventurous! I haven't had anything go so bad that the result was undrinkable...yet. Here are some tips on the specifics if you're looking for a bit more guidance:
Use high-proof spirits. Bonded bourbon (like in my picture above), over-proofed rum, navy strength gin, etc. It's the alcohol that grabs all the flavor out of the additions, so more alcohol means more efficient flavor extractions.
Use mason jars, and get them as full as possible - oxygen is the enemy.
Double-strain. When the flavor is where you want it, strain the liquid out into another container and rinse out the jar. Then, strain again back into the jar. Your infusion should be shelf-stable for a long while regardless, but you'll have even better luck if you get all the stuff out of the liquid.
Check out this excellent Serious Eats article if you want to know more!
What are Some Good Starting Recipes?
You can always start by making your own Fireball and Malibu. Put some cinnamon sticks in some high-proof whiskey, wait a few days, and have your opinion of what Fireball could be changed forever. Add some coconut shavings to some rum (especially aged rum), and forget all about your poor college decisions involving that dumb white bottle.
Then, riff on those! Put some peeled apple slices in with the cinnamon whiskey and some citrus peel into the coconut rum. Add some ginger to both for a bit of different spice.
I've also gotten good reaction to what I've been calling Breakfast Whiskey. Add a tiny bit of citrus peel, a few scoops of whole coffee beans, and some maple syrup to whiskey and let the magic happen. It gets a deep, nutty flavor with an awesome coffee nose that I can't get enough of.
What Else Can I Use Them For?
I'm going to be honest - I don't know where "infused liquor" stops and "bottled cocktail" begins. The Breakfast Whiskey is delicious by itself over ice... So, to me, the most obvious next step of an infusion is just turning it into a bottled old fashioned. Add some bitters, some more citrus, and a bit more sugar after you strain the infused bits out and then enjoy over ice!