I've done a Cocktail Friday once or twice before, but I decided for the next couple weeks while I'm on "stay-cation" I would make it a regular feature. I might even have enough summer drinks up my sleeve to get me through Labor Day. This week it's going to be Cocktail Thursday because my actual recipe post for today isn't ready.
This week: Red Currant Vodka.
Remember those gorgeous looking red currants I got from the CSA right before I left for vacation? Well, there was no way I was going to use them all up, so I washed and destemmed them and dumped them in a quart jar, added three cups of vodka, and let it sit while I was away.
Remember those gorgeous looking red currants I got from the CSA right before I left for vacation? Well, there was no way I was going to use them all up, so I washed and destemmed them and dumped them in a quart jar, added three cups of vodka, and let it sit while I was away.
I let them sit for just over a week, a little longer than I let my raspberry vodka sit. I probably could have gone a little longer. Looking at other recipes (why I did this after I strained it, I don't know) people usually leave red currant vodka for almost a month--one guy left his for almost three. I like the taste though. If I do this again next year, I'll definitely infuse it for longer.
I've mentioned before that I like to do my infusions without sugar and I add a sweetener of some sort when I make my drinks (if that's what I'm in the mood for). So this is just a straight up infusion. And a very simple one.
Red Currant Vodka
1/2 pint red currants, stemmed and well washed
3 c vodka (I used Absolute this time, but have used LiV before, which is actually a potato vodka and totally gluten free)
A clean one quart mason jar
Fill the mason jar with boiling water to sterilize it. Let it sit while you're stemming and washing the currants.
Empty the jar. Add the currants and the vodka. Cover and store in a cool (or as cool as you can get it in the middle of the summer), dark place. Take the jar out and shake it every once in a while. After about a week, you can start tasting a bit and see how it tastes to you. Leave the vodka to infuse for up to 4 weeks (you could probably leave it even longer if you want--see note above).
When the taste is to you're liking, strain through cheesecloth and into a clean jar or bottle. I strained mine twice--once through a sieve to get rid of the berries, and once through cheesecloth.
Store in the freezer for up to two months.
Red Currant Vodka
1/2 pint red currants, stemmed and well washed
3 c vodka (I used Absolute this time, but have used LiV before, which is actually a potato vodka and totally gluten free)
A clean one quart mason jar
Fill the mason jar with boiling water to sterilize it. Let it sit while you're stemming and washing the currants.
Empty the jar. Add the currants and the vodka. Cover and store in a cool (or as cool as you can get it in the middle of the summer), dark place. Take the jar out and shake it every once in a while. After about a week, you can start tasting a bit and see how it tastes to you. Leave the vodka to infuse for up to 4 weeks (you could probably leave it even longer if you want--see note above).
When the taste is to you're liking, strain through cheesecloth and into a clean jar or bottle. I strained mine twice--once through a sieve to get rid of the berries, and once through cheesecloth.
Store in the freezer for up to two months.
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