Infusion: Herbal Vodka

• Cardamom-Ginger Vodka
• Ginger-Lemon Vodka
• Horseradish Vodka
• Lemon-Pepper Vodka

For a cocktail, try this Cardamom-Ginger Vodka in a highball glass over ice and topped with ginger beer.

Cardamom-Ginger Vodka
San Francisco Chronicle - 2006

Ingredients

10 green cardamom pods (see Notes)
12-oz (1.5 cups) good-quality vodka
10 slices of fresh ginger, 1/4-inch thick


Notes: Green cardamom pods are available at Indian markets and some natural foods stores.

Preparation

Spread cardamom seeds on a cutting board; crush lightly with the broad side of a chef's knife.

Pour vodka into a 2-quart jar; add cardamom pods and ginger. Cap tightly with lid and shake gently.

Place in a dark, cool area; shake gently every few days. Taste daily and make adjustments as you go.

After 2 weeks, strain infused vodka into a clean bottle. Use immediately, or allow to age further if desired.

Source:  Dabney Gough "Do-it-yourself flavored vodkas" (San Francisco Chronicle November 24, 2006)

Horseradish Vodka

Adapts Dylan Prime

Makes about 700-ml

Ingredients
2-oz fresh horseradish root
1 (750-ml) bottle of vodka
1 Tbsp celery seed
2 Tbsp black peppercorns


Preparation
Peel horseradish; using a vegetable peeler, cut into fine shreds.

Uncap vodka; reserve 8-oz (1 cup). Using a funnel, add celery seeds and peppercorns to bottle. Add horseradish, then top off bottle with reserved vodka. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.

Strain vodka through fine sieve to remove celery seeds and fine particles. Chill completely before serving.

Source:  Matt Lee and Ted Lee, "Basil Vodka to Peach Sake: Infusing Spirits With Daring," (The New York Times August 16, 2000)

Lemon-Pepper Vodka

Nancy Jenkins - 1985
Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients

36 fragrant peppercorns
Zest of one lemon
1 (750-ml) bottle of best-quality vodka


Preparation
Prepare the vodka at least 48 hours early. Place peppercorns and lemon zest in vodka, recork and leave to macerate 24 hours. Then place in freezer until ready to serve.

To keep the vodka icy cold at a picnic, start at home by placing the bottle in a larger container, such as a milk carton. Fill the container with water and freeze. When ready to set out, remove the carton and wrap the icy block of vodka in a towel.

Source:  Nancy Jenkins, "As American As A New Englander Shore Dinner" (The New York Times July 3, 1985)

No-Bake Booze Candy Tips

Making no-bake booze candy (some call cookies) is easy. Here are some practical tips for getting started. 

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• Plan ahead because most booze candy/cookies become more flavorful after sitting for 2 to 3 days. Some recipes even suggest sitting for 2 weeks before serving.

• Sift confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder. 

• Cookies, even vanilla wafers, come in different sizes so measure before you crumble. Measure 1 cup whole cookies; then, count the number of cookies in it. Why bother? For example, this Bacardi Rum Balls recipe calls for 1.5 cups, "about 50 cookies." Using Nabisco Nilla® Wafers today, I measure 1 cup equals 15 cookies, or 22 to 23 cookies for 1.5 cups. Big difference!

• Don't pulverize the ingredients! For consistency, think panko not flour. (After snapping 1 cup of the the cookies in half or quarters and pulsing on/off 6x in the Krups Speedy Pro, the Nilla® Wafers yield 3/4 cup crumbs.)

Cranberry Syrup Recipes

Take advantage of fresh cranberry season. According to the trade association Cranberry Institute, when sealed in an airtight container, cranberries will keep for nearly a year in the freezer. 

These syrup recipes make good use of cranberries now:

• Cranberry Syrup
• Spiced Cranberry Syrup

Use this Cranberry Syrup for making Cranberry White Wine Spritzers.

Cranberry Syrup

Pastry Affair

Makes ??

Ingredients
2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water


Preparation
In a medium saucepan over Medium heat, bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat to Medium-Low; cook until all cranberries have burst, about 15 minutes; cool.

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, without forcing; discard cranberries. Continue straining until the syrup is clear; the clarity is important to the appearance of your finished beverage.

Refrigerate the syrup in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Source



Prepare this Spiced Cranberry Syrup in advance to make Holiday Sangria.

Spiced Cranberry Syrup

Fat and Happy

Makes ??

Ingredients
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 bag fresh cranberries, sorted and cleaned
1 cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
4 cloves
1 rosemary twig


Preparation
In a small saucepan over Medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the water; stir in the  remaining ingredients. Cover and cool; place in the refrigerator and chill overnight or up to 24 hours.

Image credit

If making Holiday Sangria (shown above), remove the infused cranberries to paper towel-covered plate; sprinkle with granulated white sugar and set aside to dry.

Prior to using the syrup, discard the cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves and rosemary. Strain the syrup into a covered container with a spout; store in the refrigerator.

Source

Rich Simple Syrup

Simple syrup provides the essential needed balance—but no flavor—in drinks mixed with fresh citrus. When the mercury drops, switch things up and make Rich Simple Syrup. You can use less to get the same amount of sweetening, and the Rich Simple Syrup has a longer shelf life.

Image via Wikipedia

Rich Simple Syrup

Ingredients
2 parts Demerara sugar
1 part water, or use maple syrup

Variation(s):
Use other raw sugar like turbinado or muscovado.


Notes:   When using Rich Simple Syrup in brown spirit–based drinks balanced with aromatic bitters, use 1/2 the amount of  regular simple syrup.


Preparation
In a small saucepan over Medium temperature, heat the water; add the sugar and stir until dissolved (should occur quickly).

Cool before using or bottling. Label and date; cover and refrigerate unused portion up to 6 months.


Related:
No-Cook Simple Syrup

Pumpkin: Purée and Simple Syrup

Cocktails follow!

Pumpkin Purée

Brian Miller, Bar Manager, Death & Co. New York City
Makes 30-oz (3.75 cups)

Ingredients
1 (15-oz) can Libby's® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
15.0-oz simple syrup


Preparation
Place all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Cover and store in refrigerator.

Variation(s):
For Mom's Pumpkin Pie — Omit ginger.

Source: Flor de Caña®



Use this Pumpkin Pie Syrup to make a Pumpkin Liqueur.

Pumpkin Pie Syrup

Marcia Simmons - 2012

Makes about 6-oz (3/4 cup)

Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
1 whole clove
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp pumpkin purée


Preparation
Bring the water and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat to Low and add cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla and pumpkin puree; simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes. Strain through fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth; use bottom of ladle to press to extract as much liquid as possible.

Source: Marcia Simmons via Serious Eats



Use this syrup to make a Pumpkin-tini.

Pumpkin Simple Syrup
Frangelico®

Makes qty ???

Ingredients

1/2 cup pumpkin purée

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

Preparation

In a small saucepan over High heat, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil; stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; cool completely. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

Source:  Frangelico®


Related
Sleepy Hollow Fizz - Brian Miller
Pumpkin-tini
Autumn Cocktails: Vanilla Vodka + Pumpkin Purée
Making Fresh Pumpkin Purée

Herb and Spice Syrup Recipes

• Cinnamon Syrup #1
• Ginger Syrup
• Rosemary Syrup
• Spiced Rum Syrup
• Spiced Simple Syrup

Use Cinnamon Syrup #1 to make Tito's Pumpkin Pie Martini.

3-inch cinnamon sticks

Cinnamon Syrup #1

Makes qty?

Ingredients
16.00-oz (2 cups) water
4 cinnamon sticks
1.5 cups sugar


Preparation
In a medium saucepan, bring the water and cinnamon sticks to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the cinnamon sticks and bring the mixture to a boil once more, stirring in the sugar until dissolved. Let cool before using in a cocktail. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 week.

Source: Women's Health Magazine (November 15, 2012)

Peeled fresh ginger

Ginger Syrup

Dale DeGroff
Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients
24.00-oz (3 cups) water, divided

1/2 cup coarsely peeled and chopped fresh ginger
2.67-oz (1/3 cup) fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp finely grated lime peel
1/4 cup golden brown sugar

Preparation

Thoroughly blend 1 cup water and ginger in blender. Bring remaining 2 cups water to boil. Add ginger-water mixture, lime juice and lime peel. Remove from heat; cover and let steep for 1 hour. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Strain syrup into bowl. Chill until cold.

Store in a clean glass jar with a tight lid in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Source: Bon Appétit October 2006

Fresh rosemary

Rosemary Syrup

Makes qty?

Ingredients
16.00-oz (2 cups) water
1/2 cup sugar
4 rosemary sprigs, rinsed and dried

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer over moderately Low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain the syrup and chill.

Source: Lost it

Bitters

• Amer Boudreau - Jamie Boudreau
• Clove Bitters - Alex Smith

This recipe produces Bitters very similar to the original Amer Picon (before 1970s formula change), used in many vintage cocktail recipes, but no longer distributed in the USA. Read about Jamie Boudreau's process to replicate the elusive Amer Picon (shown below) in an experts' side-by-side comparison.

Image credit

Amer Boudreau

Jamie Boudreau

Ingredients
3 bottles Amaro Ramazzotti
7.50 cups orange tincture
0.75 bottle Stirrings Blood Orange bitters
0.75 (1-liter) bottle Evian (about 25.4-oz)

Notes:  Brooklyn Cocktail recipe

Preparation 

Place all ingredients into a container and stir. Seal and allow ingredients to get to know each other for at least one week.

Filter, bottle and refrigerate.

Alex Smith concocted Clove Bitters and uses them in his seasonal Belsnickel Cocktail.

Clove Bitters

Alex Smith

Ingredients
5 cloves
1 (4.0-oz) bottle Angostura® Bitters


Preparation
Drop the cloves into a bitters bottle ad let sit for 2 days. Shake bottle several times a day, before straining out.
—Alex Smith, Honor, Emeryville, California

Last Updated December 1, 2012

Grenadine | Dave Stolte

Real pomegranate Grenadine is miles above the common artificial kind and can be made easily at home. ~Dave Stolte

Image credit

Grenadine
Dave Stolte

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients
8.00-oz (1 cup) freshly-squeezed pomegranate juice or 100% unsweetened pomegranate juice (e.g. POM 100% Juice)
1 cup white sugar
0.25-oz (1.5 tsp) orange flower water
1.00-oz (2 Tbsp) 100-proof vodka


Notes: Pomegranate juice can stain your skin and clothing, so wear gloves and an apron to prevent unwanted stains when juicing the fruit.

Adding the 100-proof vodka helps keep grenadine from spoiling too fast. Locally, look for orange flower water in Middle Eastern markets.

Preparation

Mix the pomegranate juice with the sugar, and cook over Medium-Low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.

When mixture is cool, add the orange flower water and 100-proof vodka.

Use or transfer and cap in a clean, dry glass bottle. Keep refrigerated.

Buy Dave' book, visit Home Bar Basics, or follow him on Twitter. 

Infusion: Tinctures

• Cinnamon 
• Orange

This versatile tincture is handy.

Cinnamon Tincture

Wes Galloway - 2012
Batch determines Quantity

Ingredients
Top-quality cinnamon bark and not sticks (see Notes:)
High-proof vodka or grain alcohol


Notes:  Don't use cinnamon sticks because they are steamed before they are rolled and lose some intensity.


Preparation
Tightly pack a mason jar with cinnamon bark; top up with the vodka or grain alcohol. Set aside for 6 weeks. Strain through a coffee filter and bottle.

Source: Adapted from a recipe by Wes Galloway, Black Beans Steakhouse and Lounge, Port Hope, Canada via Gaz Regan

Use this orange tincture to replicate Amer Picon with Jamie Boudreau's recipe.

Orange Tincture

Batch determines Quantity 

Ingredients
Dried (for longer shelf life) orange peel

High proof vodka such as Smirnoff Blue Label

Notes: 50% ABV works best. To shorten infusion time, shake 3x daily and infuse for 3 to 6 weeks. High proof vodka extracts more flavor, and the higher the ratio of orange to vodka, the faster the infusion.

Image via Wikipedia

Preparation

Fill a covered jar half-way with dried orange peel; fill with high-proof vodka. Set  aside for 1 to 2 months.

If using Everclear, let mixture sit for about 1 week before adding enough water to reduce to 100 proof; then, infuse for an additional 2 weeks.

Your final tincture should be a light amber color, not a dark color. To finish, strain through coffee filter(s). Transfer to a clean, dry glass bottle with a lid. 

Cap and store in refrigerator.

Source:  

Christmas Garnish

Image credit

Cranberry Margaritas

Infusion: Spiced Rum

• AZ's 5-Spice Rum
• Kelly Carámbula's Cinnamon-Infused Rum
• Martin Cate's Homemade Spiced Rum
• Todd Thrasher's Spiced Rum

Serve this 5-Spice Rum in (8) highball glasses straight up, chilled or on the rocks.

5-Spice Rum

Adapts AZ (now closed) - 2000

Makes 8 cocktails

Ingredients

1 (750-ml) bottle of dark rum

1 cinnamon stick

4 whole cloves

1 star anise

1/4 tsp fennel seeds

Pinch Sichuan peppercorns

Preparation
Uncap rum; add spices and replace cap. Shake well.

Let stand at room temperature for 48 hours.

Strain rum through a fine sieve, discarding spices. 

Source

Cinnamon-Infused Rum

Kelly Carámbula - 2011

Makes 750-ml

Ingredients

1 (750-ml) bottle of dark rum, like Flor de Caña®

3 cinnamon sticks

Notes:  Pumpkin Punch recipe

Preparation

In a large, wide-mouth jar, combine the cinnamon sticks and rum (keep the bottle). Seal and place in a dark area for 3 days; shake gently daily. Once the cinnamon flavor is bold enough, remove the cinnamon sticks and pour back into the liquor bottle.

Source

Homemade Spiced Rum

Martin Cate - 2009

Ingredients
1 bottle decent medium-dry rum
1 vanilla bean, sliced open
1 (3-inch) slice of orange peel, with no white pith
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole allspice berries
3 whole cloves
5 whole black peppercorns
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 slice of fresh ginger, about the size of a quarter


Notes:  Henry and John recipe


Preparation
Combine all in the bottle and cap it. Keep in a cool, dark place for about three days, shaking it once a day. When you think it is ready (anywhere from 2 to 4 days), strain out the spices and re-bottle the rum.

Source

Spiced Rum

Todd Thrasher - 2009

Makes 1-liter

Ingredients
1 whole star anise
1/2 (3-inch) cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
2 whole cloves
2 allspice berries
2 cardamom pods
0.25-oz (0.5 Tbsp) freshly grated nutmeg
1 liter good-quality white rum such as Appleton®, Flor de Caña® or Mount Gay®
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
Strips of peel from 1 whole orange (no pith), finely chopped

Notes:  Spiced Rum Cocktail recipe


Preparation
Use a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder designated for spices to grind the star anise, cinnamon stick pieces, cloves, allspice berries, cardamom and nutmeg.

Pour the rum into a clean, clear-glass 4-cup container; save the rum's original bottle. Add the spice mixture plus the vanilla bean and scrapings and the orange peel. Seal and place on an interior windowsill for 5 days; shake the mixture each day.

After 5 days, strain through a fine-mesh strainer; then strain again, making sure all traces of the spices are removed. Discard any solids. Use a funnel to return the Spiced Rum to its original bottle. Be sure to label it accordingly.

Source

Last Updated December 9, 2012

Nocino | Calabria from Scratch

Nocino is a dark-colored liqueur made with unripe walnuts and a hint of spice that is typically served cold. It is considered a digestive in Italy, but you can also use it to make desserts.

Throughout Italy, June 24 (San Giovanni’s aka St John's Day) is traditionally when people start the process of making nocino. Tradition has it that the green walnuts must be picked on this day to make the best nocino. Actually, this time of picking is essential because of the delicate and ever-changing flavor of the nut. ~Rosetta Costantino 

Image credit

Nocino
(Walnut Liqueur)

Rosetta Costantino - 2010
Makes about 2 liters

Ingredients
27 green walnuts
1 (750 ml) bottle of Everclear (151 proof)
Zest of one organic lemon
2 sticks of cinnamon
12 cloves
1 vanilla bean, split

For finishing:
32-oz (4 cups) water
3 cups sugar


Notes: Wear gloves and use a plastic cutting board because juice from the walnuts stains. Experiment with resting times, as nocino mellows with age.

Preparation

Cut the green walnuts in quarters lengthwise; then, halve each to yield 8 pieces per walnut.

Place the cut walnut pieces with the alcohol and the lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves and vanilla bean in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Cover and leave the jar on a window sill for the next 40 days, making sure the walnuts remain covered by the alcohol.

After 40 days, the liquid should look dark brown in color.

To start the second (finishing) phase, make a simple syrup. In a saucepan over Low heat, combine the water and sugar and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, strain the infused alcohol.

Once the simple syrup is completely cooled, add it to the strained infused alcohol; cap and put in a cool place for another 40 days.

Strain; bottle and store.

Source: Rosetta Costantino, Calabria from Scratch