I have wanted to infuse vodka with fruit for Christmas for years – and never got around to it. Now that I have started the process I feel silly for not doing it sooner – it was all of 10 minutes work.
Wash, seed and stem your fruit. I used apples and pears because they are local and seasonal. I am planning to serve this vodka ice-cold after dinner – if I`m really ambitious I`m going to make an apple and pear dessert to match them with.
Cut the fruit into small pieces – the more surface area the better. And it looks pretty too!
The fruit will brown after a few days – remove it at this point. Although you can add more fruit for further taste and visual appeal closer to serving though the infusion process should only take 3-5 days. There are a variety of theories on what to do during this time – all agree that your jars should be left in a cool, dry place with an air tight lid (mason jars are great!) and some claim you should shake the jars 3-5 times a day.
If you are using soft fruit (i.e. berries), bruise the fruit between your fingers but take care not to crush them (I`d avoid shaking these too hard) as it will make a cloudy mess of your drink (unless, of course, that`s what you want).
You can also infuse savory ingredients like garlic, herbs or other tastes.
Once it`s done, pour the liquid through the strainer and store like any other alcohol.
There is still plenty of time to mix yourself a special taste for the holidays – if you try it, let us know how the taste worked out and we`ll do the same.