With the holidays quickly approaching, I thought I would start a series of posts about homemade gifts that are better than ones you can get in the store. While many Americans have gotten away from making their own gifts in lieu of giving gadgets like the iPad and iPhone, there are still a handful of people out there that make their own gifts and some even sell them on shops like etsy.
Below I have the first homemade gifts project: infused alcohol. Infusing alcohol with various flavor combinations is a wonderful way to experiment your tastes. The essential idea is to merge a assortment of flavors into a base liquor or oil to create a custom-flavored gift.
Choose your alcohol and choose your flavor(s). Vodka is the most universal base alcohol utilized. Other light alcohols such as gin, sake or light rum can also be utilized for infusing flavor. I hope that you enjoy them. Let me know what flavor combinations you used.
Materials
- Fresh herbs, spices or fruits for flavor
- Vodka or other alcohol
- Quart-sized Mason jars, infusion jars or any air-tight jar
- Coffee filter
Directions
- Clean your jars and add the flavor ingredients to the bottom of the jar.
- Pour the alcohol over the ingredients and replace the lid.
- Shake the jar 3-5 times.
- Store infusion in a cool, dark place like the refrigerator.
- You will need to shake it every day for 5 days. Intense flavors will not need as long as less powerful flavors.
- Perform a taste test the infusion every few days to ensure the flavors are infusing to your liking.
- Once the infusion has achieved flavor peak, remove the infusing ingredients from the jar. Use a coffee filter to strain the liquor into another clean jar.
- Store final infusion liquor in a cool, dry location until you are ready to give as a gift.
Check out this site for Mason Jar decorating ideas.
Selecting Your Infusion Flavors
The most commonly used ingredients for infusions are herbs, spices, berries, vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, fruits, citrus fruits, peppers and garlic cloves are most commonly used for infusions. The most popular infusions are fruit based, however you can use your imagination to create some wonderful combinations. Use your creativity to personalize your creations.
Infusion Ideas
- Apple and Cinnamon Vodka
- Banana, Strawberry Mint Gin
- Cranberry Orange Spice Rum
- Habenero Vodka
- Jalapeno Tequila
- Spiced Pumpkin Vodka
- Lemon, Lime, Orange Tequila
- Rosemary,Basil Garlic Vodka
- Watermelon Gin
Need more flavor ideas? Check out this blog.