The holiday season means to join the festivities with our friends, family and loved ones. A fun gift idea for the festivities is your own customized liquor for their enjoyment. Homemade gifts not only make heartwarming gifts, but they also show that you pay attention to the preference and taste of the host to give them something that will surely be liked.
Here are some of the infused alcohol recipes that you can make at home:
Chilli Mango Infused Vodka
Ingredients for the mango syrup:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Granulated sugar
1 Ripe mango, medium sized
Ingredients for the infused vodka:
5-6 Ripe mangoes, large sized
½ cup Mango simple syrup
Vodka – Enough to fill ½ gallon mason jar
Instructions to make the mango syrup:
- Puree the mango, sugar, and water until smooth in the blender.
- Transfer the mixture to a small pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is somewhat translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and strain the mixture. Discard fibrous solids, if any.
- Transfer the simple syrup to a glass container with a tight fitting lid. Simple syrup will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
Infuse your vodka:
- Cut and peel the mangoes into the mason jar, extracting as much pulp from the mango as you can. Since the mangoes are ripe, you can scrape the pulp with a spoon into the jar.
- With a muddler or back of the wooden spoon, mash the mangoes a bit; enough to release those mango juices.
- Add the simple syrup.
- Pour enough vodka to almost reach the top of your mason jar.
- Seal with a tight fitting lid, give it a good hard shake, and store in a dark place.
- Shake the jar once a day and allow to infuse anywhere from 1 week and up to 1 month. The longer it infuses, the more concentrated your vodka will be.
- After the infusion period, strain mango pulp from the vodka using a cheesecloth lined strainer into a measuring cup, pressing on the solids.
- Pick up the cheesecloth, give it a couple of twists to close and then give it a hearty squeeze to extract as much booze as possible. Discard the fibrous mango solids.
- Transfer strained vodka back into the mason jar and store either in the fridge or at room temperature until ready to use.
Honey and Saffron Liquor
Ingredients:
350 g (12 oz/1 cup) honey
1/2 vanilla bean, finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
10 black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
a small pinch of saffron threads
3 strips of lemon zest, white pith removed
750 ml (26 fl oz/3 cups) Polish vodka
Instructions:
- Put the honey, 125 ml (4 fl oz/ 1/2 cup) water, the vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, nutmeg and saffron in a saucepan and bring just to the boil. Reheat until simmering, then remove from the heat, cool completely, strain, then stir in the vodka.
- Quickly reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lemon zest and set aside to infuse for 20 minutes.
- Carefully pour into a sterilized airtight bottle and allow to steep for a week. Serve chilled or slightly warmed.
Organic Limoncello
Ingredients:
1 bottle (750 ml) of organic vodka, or any type (if organic doesn’t do it for you)
8 organic lemons, washed
3 cups organic cane sugar
3 cups water
Equipment Needed:
2 – 750 ml clean bottles with caps
Funnel
Instructions:
- In a large, clean bottle (with a wide opening and a cover), pour the entire bottle of vodka. Very carefully, peel the yellow thin layer of zest off of each lemon, making sure to avoid taking up any of the white pith by using a simple potato peeler.
- Place the zest strips in the same bottle that holds the vodka.
- Cover and hide it away in your cupboard for at least four solid weeks. The longer you stow it away, the better the resulting liquor. Every couple of days, I shake the bottle up a bit.
- When the four weeks are up, strain the vodka-zest mixture.
- Discard the zest, and evenly distribute the vodka into two 750 ml bottles (using the funnel).
- Over medium heat, gently boil the sugar with the water to make a simple syrup. This should take about 10 minutes.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, take the mixture off the stove and let it cool a short while.
- Using the funnel, distribute the simple syrup evenly into the bottles with the vodka. The bottles won’t necessarily be filled to the top, but that’s okay. You want to be able to shake the concoction.
- Gently shake both bottles and put the bottles back in your cupboard for two weeks. Let it sit a little bit longer to get even more gorgeous and sweet.
Meyer Lemon & Lavender, Cardamom or Thyme Liquor
Ingredients:
750 ml (or one bottle) of good vodka (80 proof or stronger)
10 Meyer lemons, washed and dried
2 cups organic cane sugar
2 cups water
Flavor Companions:
2 tablespoons culinary lavender
3 cardamom pods, broken open so the seeds are exposed
8 springs of thyme
Equipment Needed:
2 — 750 ml clean bottles with caps
Funnel
Instructions:
- In a large, clean bottle, pour the entire bottle of vodka. Very carefully, peel the yellow thin layer of zest off of each lemon, making sure to avoid taking up any of the white pith using a simple potato peeler.
- Place the zest strips and your chosen flavor companions in the same bottle that holds the vodka.
- Cover and hide it away in your cupboard for at least four solid weeks. The longer you stow it away, the better the resulting liquor.
- Every couple of days, I shake the bottle up a bit.
- When the four weeks are up, strain the vodka-zest mixture.
- Discard the zest and flavor companion, and evenly distribute the vodka into two 750 ml bottles (using the funnel).
- Over medium heat, gently boil the sugar with the water to make a simple syrup. This should take about 10 minutes.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, take the mixture off the stove and let it cool a short while (or as long as you can resist).
- Using the funnel, distribute the simple syrup evenly into the bottles with the vodka. The bottles won’t necessarily be filled to the top, but that’s okay. You want to be able to shake the concoction.
- Gently shake both bottles and put the bottles back in your cupboard for two weeks. Let it sit a little bit longer to get even more gorgeous and sweet.
- Take out the bottle out of the freezer or cupboard when you are in need of a drink.
Pear-Infused Brandy
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup brandy
1 large pear, ripe but not mushy, peeled, cored cut into 8 long slices (green or red D’Anjou preferred)
Instructions:
- Add the brandy and pear to a Mason jar or other sealable glass jar/container.
- Place in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks, turning over and back to right side up daily. After two weeks taste brandy and if achieving desired flavor concentration, drain, remove pears, reseal and store in a dark, cool place.
- If desiring a denser flavor, leave to infuse longer, tasting periodically until desired flavor is achieved.
Note: the pears used for infusing can be used for another dish afterwards although any pears exposed to air at the surface of the liquid will have turned brown and be visually undesirable.
Christmas Liquor
Ingredients:
4 cups / 1 litre of clear vodka
peels from two organic oranges
1 apple
3 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon cloves
1/4 cup white sugar
Instructions:
- Wash and peel the oranges.
- Wash and cut the apple in slices and remove the stem.
- Pour the alcohol in a large enough jar, add the orange peel, apple slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves and sugar.
- Give a quick stir.
- Place a clean shot glass on top to prevent the orange peels from floating on the surface. Everything should be covered by alcohol to prevent mold.
- Store the Christmas Liquor for about 1 month in a dark place, give it a quick mix once or twice.
- After a month you can pour it through a strainer and fill it into individual small bottles and you have the perfect gift ready!
Lemongrass-Ginger Infused Tequila Recipe
Ingredients:
750ml bottle of premium tequila
2 stalks of lemongrass
1 large piece of fresh ginger
Infusion jar with tight sealing lid
Instructions:
- Peel the outer leaves from the lemongrass stalks, cut off the ends and chop the remaining grass into thin rounds.
- Place the lemongrass and whole ginger in the bottom of a clean mason jar or similar jar with a tight sealing lid.
- Pour the tequila over the herbs and shake a few times.
- Seal the lid tight and store the jar in a cool, dark place for about 2 weeks.
- Test the flavor of the infusion every day, beginning on the fifth day.
- Once the flavor is to taste, strain the lemongrass and ginger from the tequila.
- Wash the jar and return the flavored tequila to it.
- Store as you would any other tequila.
The Marriage of Figaro
Ingredients:
1 ounce Fig-Infused Four Roses Bourbon
1 ounce Four Roses Bourbon
1 ounce Cardamaro
1 bar spoon St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
Garnish: lemon twist
Instructions:
- Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish with a lemon twist.
*Fig-infused Bourbon:
- Begin with a 750 mL bottle of Four Roses yellow label bourbon.
- Pour the bourbon into a large glass jar.
- Add 1/8 lb. of diced, dried Turkish (flat yellow) figs and 1/4 lb. of diced, dried Mission (black) figs.
- Close the jar tightly, and allow the infusion to rest in a cool, dark place for 5-7 days, agitating the mixture every 24 hours.
- Strain the infusion first through a fine mesh strainer, then through a cheesecloth, pouring the strained liquor back into the original bottle.
- The infused bourbon can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Strawberry Basil Vodka
Ingredients:
Strawberries
Mason jar
Vodka
Instructions:
- Slice up some strawberries
- Throw them into a mason jar halfway. All of the strawberries must be soaked in liquid.
- Add some fresh basil on top of the strawberries.
- Fill it up until every ingredient are soaked in the vodka.
- Store it in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks.
- Before giving it as a gift, strain the mixture with a strainer or a coffee filter into the mason jar that it was stored it.
- Put a bow around the lid and and add your own personal touches to it. The gift will even be more special if there is handwritten note by you, attached to the bow around the lid.
Infused Spiced Apple Vodka
Ingredients:
3 Apples (different varieties with one being Granny Smith); peeled, cored and chopped into large pieces
2 Cinnamon Sticks (3 ½ long)
5 Green Cardamom Pods
½ Vanilla Bean, slit vertically
10 Allspice Berries
¼ teaspoon Dried Orange Peel
1 Whole Nutmeg, shaved (grated on each side to expose the layer under the outer pod)
4 cups unflavored Vodka
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients to a large jar with a lid. Seal and place in a dark, cool location for 5 days.
- Swirl the jar once daily to mix the ingredients inside it.
- Strain the infused vodka through a sieve to remove the large ingredients.
- Strain a second time through cheesecloth or a clean coffee filter to remove any smaller spice particles.
