As Canada’s oil-battered economy continues to struggle, more and more adults are attempting to cut costs by mixing their own craft cocktails instead of spending money at the nearby watering hole.
One way to create flavourful drinks at home is by making your own infused spirits.
Alan Dietrich is CEO of Bendistillery in Bend, Oregon. He tells Global News “it really is easy to do.”
How to make homemade infused alcohol
- Wash a bottle or container and wash your desired ingredients.
- Add alcohol (like vodka or gin) to bottle and add desired ingredients (like fruit, vegetables or herbs.) Secure bottle or container.
- Allow concoction to sit for anywhere from one day to a week.
- Strain alcohol to remove solid ingredients. Discard ingredients. Store with lid tightly sealed.
“Home-infused liquor – or home-infused cocktails – is always a popular thing,” Dietrich said.
The most popular alcohol to infuse is vodka. However, Dietrich warns there are some common mistakes that can ruin your creation.
Tips and tricks for making herb or fruit-infused vodka
- Be patient and taste often
“Every flavour you’re going to infuse is going to take a different amount of time,” Dietrich warns.
According to Dietrich, the most popular ingredients for home-infused vodkas are cucumber or berries.
- Don’t infuse for too long
“What few people realize is you can over-infuse a liquor quite easily,” Dietrich warned.
“A lot of herbs – the rosemarys and the basils and all that – they will reach a certain point and it will start developing a very tannic, woody and generally unpleasant flavour.”
- Keep your quantities small
“Experiment, and do it in small enough quantities where if you make a mistake, it’s not the end of the world.”
- Store in an air-tight container
To keep your concoction safe, you’ll want to store it in an air-tight container.
Flavours are bound to change and mature over time, but when it doubt – throw it out!
- Using multiple ingredients is more complicated than you’d think
“It’s hard to get two flavours going at the same time and stopping at the same time,” Dietrich explains. “Like if you were to do lemon raspberry, the lemon might develop a flavour in a day or two and the raspberries might take two or three weeks to develop, so getting that sweet spot can be kind of tough.”