Infused Vodka [Food/Vendor]
2008 Oct 18
It's dead easy. I learned how to do it from a guy in my residence in Germany, but there is not much to "learn". He used to make his own fruit Schnapps. I did that for a while back here in Canada, and I also use the technique and recommend it to other brewers when spicing beer. In that latter case, you soak your spices in vodka for a week or two, then filter them out. Then take a syringe of vodka and a measured amount of beer (e.g. 100ml beer, 1ml syringe). Squirt a tiny amount of vodka into the beer, taste. Add more as required. When you get just the spicing you are looking for, you multiply the volume of beer up to the whole batch size to determine how much vodka to add to a keg.
You don't need to nuke them. Hot pepper beer is extremely popular amongst home brewers and you just put a pepper (or part thereof) into the beer bottle. I've done this before as well. Even the small amount of alcohol in beer is enough to act as a safety net from what I've read, so the comparative huge amount in vodka gives you a pretty huge margin of safety.
It really is as simple as dropping the pepper in and letting it soak a few weeks. Done. Of course, wash it first as you note.
You don't need to nuke them. Hot pepper beer is extremely popular amongst home brewers and you just put a pepper (or part thereof) into the beer bottle. I've done this before as well. Even the small amount of alcohol in beer is enough to act as a safety net from what I've read, so the comparative huge amount in vodka gives you a pretty huge margin of safety.
It really is as simple as dropping the pepper in and letting it soak a few weeks. Done. Of course, wash it first as you note.
2008 Oct 18
We used to make infused vodka and infused tequila at home. We used fresh peppers or dried peppers and had great results with both. (We poked holes in the dried peppers with a pin to get more flavour and heat out of the pepper, plus it would make them sink to the bottom of the bottle) The recipe we had called for the vodka to be kept in the freezer. Emeril has a recipe on the Food Network site www.foodnetwork.com that also says to keep it in the freezer, but I'm not sure if that is just to make an extra cold martini or as an extra safety measure!
2008 Oct 18
Great prank from my student days - a friend of mine was dared at a party to eat the entire Inferno pepper for $50 (this along with eating a Mezcal worm = classic college/university drinking dare). Slightly intoxicated already, he obliged and proceeded to eat the entire hot pepper. After realizing what a mistake this was, he called out for a glass of water ASAP. This is where it really gets cruel - we went into our kitchen, grabbed a glass and some ice, and filled it with Inferno vodka as to make it look like a huge glass of ice water! The entire glass of vodka was downed hastily as his mouth was on fire. He didn't see it coming!
2008 Oct 19
Thanks everyone for their feedback so far.
You are all right sounds dead-easy (maybe I was expecting something much more complicated?).
Anyhow I am going to try this out and I'll let you all know how it goes.
AlleyCat - Thanks for the Recipe reference. I got a chuckle out of the line "Serve, or remove the peppers and keep in the freezer." I think you are right it is just because a lot of people believe that vodka straight from the freezer is better than on the shelf (don't think it is about safety). But the chuckle came from when I interpreted the sentence from another angle... that of the pepper. Keeping "infused" peppers in the freezer might be interesting for another dish, no?
(Also see my note below to Peter).
Monty - You EVIL BOY, LOL. Inferno wasn't around in my college days, but I recall those Mezcal worms, they indeed were a classic dare. (Also see my note below to Peter).
Peter - By the time my one year old bottle of Inferno passed away, the peppers inside had turned from bright red to a soft yellow (looked a lot like faded yellow beans). On the Inferno bottle, it said this would be the effect over time, that as the vodka became infused with the red peppers heat that the vodka itself would take on a golden glow (and it did). No one ate the peppers, they didn't look very appetizing... and besides as time went on more and more of the peppers were exposed to the air above the vodka in the bottle (not sure if that was a good thing or not). But I'm thinking that when I infuse my own, I won't take them out entirely (as per the recipes I've read suggest after 2 or 3 weeks, including Emeril's that AlleyCat provided) but I'll keep them in just like those in the Inferno bottle, because I liked the intensity of the vodka heat, plus the colour. But I might change one thing, this time round I might cut down the peppers as time passes so they always remain within the vodka. Then when the vodka is gone, I'll experiment with using the infused peppers in some cooking... Vodka Rose Sauce anyone?
You are all right sounds dead-easy (maybe I was expecting something much more complicated?).
Anyhow I am going to try this out and I'll let you all know how it goes.
AlleyCat - Thanks for the Recipe reference. I got a chuckle out of the line "Serve, or remove the peppers and keep in the freezer." I think you are right it is just because a lot of people believe that vodka straight from the freezer is better than on the shelf (don't think it is about safety). But the chuckle came from when I interpreted the sentence from another angle... that of the pepper. Keeping "infused" peppers in the freezer might be interesting for another dish, no?
(Also see my note below to Peter).
Monty - You EVIL BOY, LOL. Inferno wasn't around in my college days, but I recall those Mezcal worms, they indeed were a classic dare. (Also see my note below to Peter).
Peter - By the time my one year old bottle of Inferno passed away, the peppers inside had turned from bright red to a soft yellow (looked a lot like faded yellow beans). On the Inferno bottle, it said this would be the effect over time, that as the vodka became infused with the red peppers heat that the vodka itself would take on a golden glow (and it did). No one ate the peppers, they didn't look very appetizing... and besides as time went on more and more of the peppers were exposed to the air above the vodka in the bottle (not sure if that was a good thing or not). But I'm thinking that when I infuse my own, I won't take them out entirely (as per the recipes I've read suggest after 2 or 3 weeks, including Emeril's that AlleyCat provided) but I'll keep them in just like those in the Inferno bottle, because I liked the intensity of the vodka heat, plus the colour. But I might change one thing, this time round I might cut down the peppers as time passes so they always remain within the vodka. Then when the vodka is gone, I'll experiment with using the infused peppers in some cooking... Vodka Rose Sauce anyone?
2008 Oct 19
Just as an aside, I thought I'd mention the Russian Samovar restaurant for infused vodka (if you're ever in New York City). I was there last month and had their garlic, ginger, cherry, pepper, pineapple and dill vodkas (yeah -- interesting time getting back to the hotel after all that...)
But it was great and I really recommend the place! I took a picture of their infused vodka list.
www.russiansamovar.com
But it was great and I really recommend the place! I took a picture of their infused vodka list.
www.russiansamovar.com
2008 Oct 22
Infused vodka is part of the Russian culinary tradition and one of my favorite hobbies :) I used to make 17 types of what is called in Russian "nastoika" (vodka infused with some ingredients) at home but I can't keep production at the same scale here :)
The basic principle is just pouring vodka over anything and letting it infuse for a couple of weeks. Amount of the ingredients and the time for the vodka to get infused are best to be determined yourself while practicing :) The only thing is that you need lots of cheap vodka... which is not the story here.
In case of spicy vodka you're aiming at, my variant is a so called "hunter's" vodka. Red hot peppers + garlic + any spice you would love to taste in the drink (and this is the basic principle, add anything you like). Proportions may vary - last time I did that I had 3 big peppers + 6 cloves of garlic for 2 liters of vodka. Good thing here is that you can afterwards always dilute the drink with pure vodka if it's too hot (dilute, taste, dilute, taste, that's another nice part of the process). But mine one wasn't too bad.
I will name all the types of infused vodka I did myself just to share with you some ideas for your future experiences:
- hot peppers + garlic + cloves
- lemon + ginger
- tangerine/mandarin peels (when you first dry them, they concentrate all the taste and using that is better than the fruit itself)
- (sour) cherry
- sweet cherry
- cranberry
- whortleberry
- red whortleberry
- gooseberry (not the best experience)
- pear + cinnamon + cloves
- horseradish + honey (one of the best)
- red currant
- black currant
- white currant
- ashberry
- mint
- ... you can never end the list! :)
The basic principle is just pouring vodka over anything and letting it infuse for a couple of weeks. Amount of the ingredients and the time for the vodka to get infused are best to be determined yourself while practicing :) The only thing is that you need lots of cheap vodka... which is not the story here.
In case of spicy vodka you're aiming at, my variant is a so called "hunter's" vodka. Red hot peppers + garlic + any spice you would love to taste in the drink (and this is the basic principle, add anything you like). Proportions may vary - last time I did that I had 3 big peppers + 6 cloves of garlic for 2 liters of vodka. Good thing here is that you can afterwards always dilute the drink with pure vodka if it's too hot (dilute, taste, dilute, taste, that's another nice part of the process). But mine one wasn't too bad.
I will name all the types of infused vodka I did myself just to share with you some ideas for your future experiences:
- hot peppers + garlic + cloves
- lemon + ginger
- tangerine/mandarin peels (when you first dry them, they concentrate all the taste and using that is better than the fruit itself)
- (sour) cherry
- sweet cherry
- cranberry
- whortleberry
- red whortleberry
- gooseberry (not the best experience)
- pear + cinnamon + cloves
- horseradish + honey (one of the best)
- red currant
- black currant
- white currant
- ashberry
- mint
- ... you can never end the list! :)
2015 Apr 30
I wouldn't use essence. Blueberries are available pretty much all year long now, so why not use the real thing?
If you have a cream dispenser, you can make infusions really easily.
Put some vodka in, put some blueberries in.
Seal it.
Load a gas cartridge and shake it for a minute or two.
Load in a second gas cartridge and shake for a while longer.
Keep it upright and release the gas with the nozzle. This way, you only get rid of the pressurized gas and not the contents.
Boom. You've used pressure to create an instant infusion. This should work especially well with crushy blueberries.
If you have a cream dispenser, you can make infusions really easily.
Put some vodka in, put some blueberries in.
Seal it.
Load a gas cartridge and shake it for a minute or two.
Load in a second gas cartridge and shake for a while longer.
Keep it upright and release the gas with the nozzle. This way, you only get rid of the pressurized gas and not the contents.
Boom. You've used pressure to create an instant infusion. This should work especially well with crushy blueberries.
2015 May 7
I would suggest this book for those interested:
www.amazon.com
Some of the recipes are simply delightful.
www.amazon.com
Some of the recipes are simply delightful.
2015 May 8
Fruit, and vegetables, in addition to stuff like star anise and cloves . . .
I've been googling popular infustions worldwide and "Inferno" comes up often. Macho factor ?
I know capsium is soluble in ethanol, so I can only imagine some hot peppers soaking in vodka for a few months might reach weapons grade capisum concentration . . . probably puts hair on yer chest for sure.
So we come full circle back to the original post on "Inferno".
I'm thinking of doing a beet vodka infusion too . . . .
I've been googling popular infustions worldwide and "Inferno" comes up often. Macho factor ?
I know capsium is soluble in ethanol, so I can only imagine some hot peppers soaking in vodka for a few months might reach weapons grade capisum concentration . . . probably puts hair on yer chest for sure.
So we come full circle back to the original post on "Inferno".
I'm thinking of doing a beet vodka infusion too . . . .
Food&Think
As a crazy Canuck I am in love with a well made Caesar Cocktail... a couple of years ago the LCBO used to carry a product known as Inferno Vodka. Loved it, it made a fantastic Caesar. Since then the LCBO in their wisdom have decided not to continue to carry this Canadian product.
About a year ago, I came across Inferno again, turns out that Kittling Ridge (yes the wine people) are also into distilling Spirits and they carry a wide variety of unique products in the QEW Storefront in Grimsby (both hard stuff and liqueurs). So I happily picked me up another bottle.
Well a year has passed, and the Inferno Vodka is no more. As I don't know when exactly I'll be back in Niagara, I'm thinking of infusing some vodka myself, but I have no experience doing this. And in light of all the germaphobic stories about food safety lately I am a little concerned about the safety of this. Has anyone any experience with infusing vodka?
As it stands right now I'm thinking of buying a hot pepper or two (the long skinny kind, see photo of Inferno) and just as an extra precaution I will wash them off and then nuke them for a minute or so, I figure the heat will "cure" them at the same time loosening up their favourability, and then drop them into the Smirnoff.
Any thoughts?