Flavoredvodka Recipes

INFUSED VODKA

Steps:

• Wash and dry the lemon, lime, and orange. Using a zester or a strong vegetable peeler, peel the skin of each citrus fruit to create narrow ribbons.;
• When handling peppers, it's best to use rubber gloves; some varieties can sting or even burn the skin. Wash and dry the peppers and slit them lengthwise into slivers. For stronger flavor, leave the seeds intact. For milder flavor, remove. Avoid getting the juice near eyes.
• For Both Recipes: Clean bottle in warm sudsy water. Rinse and dry. Gently place the citrus peels or peppers into the gift bottle, pour in the vodka, and cover the top of the bottle. (Do not seal at this point) Place the bottle in the refrigerator and let the ingredients steep for at least 3 hours - 2 days is better. Before giving, top off the bottle with additional vodka. (The infusion ingredients will soak up some of the vodka.) Seal the bottle with a cork or glass bottle stopper and seal with sealing wax. Tie a thin metal wire or fabric ribbon around the top of the neck, if so desired.

FLAVORED VODKA

Steps:

• Rinse and dry fruit. Remove the zest (the colored part of the skin, not the white pith underneath) using a vegetable peeler. Add zest to vodka and let steep at room temperature for at least 3 days while inverting once or twice a day to mix flavors.
• Citrus Vodka- Grapefruit/Orange/Mandarin/Tangerine/Lime/Lemon Vodka *** Soak zest (the peel with the white removed) for three hours. Remove peel and chill. You can also add a small amount of grated peel for texture and a drop or two of food coloring.
• Pepper Vodka *** Add 2 tbs crushed peppercorns to the vodka. Let stand overnight. Strain through cheesecloth and chill. Again, you may want to leave some of the pepper in the bottle for effect.
• Anise Vodka *** Add 1 tsp anise seeds to the vodka. Let stand 2 hours. Strain through cheesecloth and chill.
• Fresh Ginger Vodka *** Peel a (1 inch) square piece of fresh ginger. Cut 8 thin slices and then cut them in half. Add them to the vodka and steep from 5 to 10 days. Strain if desired.
• NOTE: In the case of simply flavoring the vodka rather than exposing it to heat, you may want to use a more expensive vodka since these are made for sipping slowly and require a smoother alcohol base.

FLAVORED VODKAS

Steps:

• To make a lemon flavored vodka (Limonnaya):.
• Make sure no white is left on the rind, as it will make the taste bitter.
• Add the zest to the vodka and infuse for at least 4 hours, but no more than 12 at room temperature. Strain and chill.
• To make Buffalo Grass Vodka (Zubrovka):.
• Add the buffalo grass to the vodka and infuse for at least 8 hours. Remove all but two blades of the buffalo grass. Chill.
• To make Pepper Vodka (Pertzovka):.
• Add the peppercorns to the vodka and infuse for at least 8 hours, 3 days maximum. Strain and chill.
• To make Coriander Vodka (Koriandrovaya):.
• Add the coriander seeds to the vodka and infuse for at least 6 hours, maximum 24 hours. Strain and chill.
• To make Anise Vodka(Anisovaya):.
• Add the aniseed to the vodka and infuse for 3 to 5 hours. Strain and chill.