Infusing Liquor
 

I couldn't find any threads on the topic so I thought I would start my own. The SO and I are looking to start infusing liquor as a hobby sometime in the near future. Our first attempt is looking to be a lemon and ginger gin. We've had other infusions (peach rum, blackberry vodka, ginger gin, cinnamon brandy, and jalapeno tequila) but have yet to try making our own.

My question is: is there anyone here on TFP with infusion experience? What were your favorite flavor/liquor combinations? What do you recommend we try? Also, is there anyone else out here on the boards interested in infusion?

I used to help my father make homemade Irish Cream, which is basically a liuqor infusion (vanilla in whiskey) which is then mixed with cream.

I also did a key lime/vodka infusion a few years back that worked out pretty well. For the most part I moved past infusion pretty quick and moved into homebrewing instead. I used to make a pretty nice hard cider every year. Unfortunately I no longer have a garage to work in. Once I do, though, I'm gonna try makine myself some mead.

As far as flavor combos, the first question is: What liquor do you want to infuse?

i've done pepper vodka...a few habaneros makes for a wicked ass martini.

in my experience, there a only a few times when i want to bother doing this myself...and that's when the flavors are strong enough to leech in to the booze without too much fuss. i usually leave fruit stuff alone...if i wanted the combination, i'd add a little fresh squeezed juice. but the lemon ginger sounds good...how are you planning on drinking this stuff? Neat?

I make gallons of Irish Cream (or scottish Cream or canadian cream depending on the whiskey that I get) for the holidaze...

Had a friend who spend a good deal of time in the deep south (not to stereotype) and each time he'd come back, he'd bring some moonshine... that infused with peaches or strawberries was mighty fine sippin' gasoline...

I tend to make infused vodkas with vodka that I wouldn't consider drinking straight... (Usually Absolut because I dont think it's that smooth) Just chop up some fruit and cover with the booze, and let steep for a few days or longer (Usually in a paper bag in the bag of the fridge)

Yeah, that's the plan. One of the reasons why we're getting into infusing is because, well, we live in a tiny apartment, and unless we cleaned out a closet (not gonna happen) we have no room for homebrew :(

Those of you who have infused (and mal already gave her 2 cents on this) do you recommend using a more expensive liquor? Obviously, if you're planning on drinking it neat you probably wouldn't use a liquor you wouldn't drink neat were it not infused, but I'd like some specific recommendations. Thanks.

I'll give you another penny...
It's kinda like cooking with wine - if I wouldn't drink it -- I wouldn't cook with it... however...

Irish cream I tend to use the cheaper whiskeys (too cheap and you never get the smoothness, but it's got so much other stuff in it, it's silly to use the expensive stuff)

Moonshine is not exactly drinkable straight - but put enough fruit into it and it kills the burn of the booze.

For something lighter (like lemon ginger) you'll probably want a better (not best) quality booze

i've done pineapple vodka infusions :) very yummy :) rum works well too :)

just put it in and let it sit for a couple days before serving the spirits. once it's near done you should start eating the fruit :)

for the gin...gosh, that's a tough call. you're starting from gin and adding the lemon and ginger...not trying to infuse the juniper, etc...in to a grain alcohol, right?

assuming that, i don't know what to tell you. Beefeater is neutral enough to try it with...Bombay standard should be about the same...Sapphire if you're picky. I wouldn't try that one with Tanq...the flavor is a bit too strong, IMO to add anything else in. i might add a little extra lavender to smooth it out a bit...

As a quick aside, Mal, for gifts you might want to look into using Bushmills or some other middle of the road whiskey. You can infuse a rather large amount of it using 2 vanilla beans, which will then go on to make some of the finest home Irish Cream you'll ever give to someone. My father always used to drop a few hazelnuts, finely chopped, into his whiskey infusion as well. You need to roast them first, or the flavor won't transfer well at all, but it's pretty awesome.


This thread kind of makes me want to try infusing lilac in a nice neutral gin. I remember drinking Lilac Wine for the first time one night in Savannah that someone had made, and I think it would pair well with Gin. Too bad that'll have to wait quite a while, lilacs haven't been in bloom here for months.

We've done pepper vodka, a little strangely though because we'd never researched the whole thing. We ran it through our Brita pitcher with a custom made (by me) basket for dried anaheim and jalapeno peppers. It had kind of a chipotle taste. I'm guessing for a fruit or gentler spice, you'd have to brew it in the fridge as suggested here.

As gin drinkers, we were thinking of going with Beefeater because it is a rather neutral gin--it isn't as herbal as Tanqueray or Bombay Sapphire (and WHO would DARE corrupt Bombay Sapphire...) and it's not as pricey either ;)

Thanks for all the tips everyone...keep 'em coming.

Great thread. I'm having a party in a few weeks and was thinking of infusing some vodka for it, although I might try something else as well. I've never done it either, but already had mal's 2 cents on it. I'll be keeping up with this thread! BTW, does anyone know where to get whole vanilla beans at? I know we dont sell them at the grocery store I work at.

You should be able to find whole vanilla beans at any premium grocer. Is there a whole foods in your town?

If it comes down to it, they sell them on the new gourmet cook area of Amazon.

There are no Whole Foods here, but we have Wild Oats, I think it is similar. I'll have to check out Wild Oats and see if they carry them. Thanks for the info, Anxst.

No problem, Medusa99. One more tip, once you get some beans. Remember to slice and strip the beans before you add the whole thing to the infusion. You'll get much more flavor this way.

Probably self-evident, but hey, some people don't know.

I've wanted to try this for some time, but like Medusa, I havent' been able to find vanilla beans either. *If* I can, I'm gonna give this a shot. Thanks for the info (and the questions)!

Here's the best price for whole beans I was able to find, should you decide to mail order:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...-food&v=glance

So do you suppose that infusing your own vanilla vodka would be better than what's available on the market? I'd really want to do it if it's markedly better than what's widely available. But I don't want to labor to re-invent the wheel.

Infusions will imho always be better than store bought, especially since you can judge when you have the right amount of flavor. Want more vanilla than what you can buy? Leave it in longer. Want it to be subtle? Take it out after a few days. Plus, you get to taste test.

and using real vanilla bean will give you a better flavor. one premium ingredient somewhat deserves another...

if you're doing sweet vodkas, try adding nutmeg...take a whole nutmeg nut and shave some off the sides, and then dunk in with vanilla or whatever else.

Has anyone ever tried using coffee beans in an infusion? I had a coffee flavored tequila in Mexico that was to die for, and I guess using beans might work?

Whole beans don't have the surface area needed to impart much to the liquor, and all the coffee oils are in the bean. You'd probably want to crack or rough grind the beans before adding them. Other than that, it should work fine.

Ok, I've got some coffee tequila infusing as we speak...I'll post the results in this thread.