So like many people whose eyes glazed over at the sight of handles of liquor at Costco or BevMo on sale over the holidays, you stocked up…A LOT. Cut to New Year’s Eve and you’re still sitting on a stockpile. While everyone expects champagne corks to be popping tonight–I for one see it as launching the old (and dismal 2019) into oblivion–it’s also a great time to experiment with liquor infusions to breathe new life into your cache of booze…and maybe add some pizzazz to your plain old bubbly.
I played around with several gin and vodka infusions during the holidays, creating a variety of tasty concoctions in the process, all made by injecting N2O (in the form of nitrous cartridges) into Whip It! cream dispensers filled with botanicals, spices, and liquor–a method called rapid infusion.
The nitrous oxide essentially forces open the cell structure of the ingredients being used to infuse the alcohol, thereby accelerating the process (and, incidentally increasing the alcohol content). In one afternoon, I made about six different gin and vodka infusions.
You can either strain out the ingredients to use the infusion immediately, or transfer everything into a clean glass container (I like mason jars) and allow it all to steep for another day or two. For my Blue Lavender Vanilla Gin, I let everything steep for two days to extract as much color from the butterfly pea flower as possible to produce a deep dark shade of midnight blue.
The butterfly pea flower, which comes dried like tea leaves, imparts negligible flavor but produces show-stopping effects. Add a touch of acid like lemon or lime juice and watch it magically turn from midnight blue to royal purple.
Another vibrant, sparkling winter cocktail is my Cranberry Pomegranate Hibiscus Sparkler, made with a fresh cranberry-infused vodka, pomegranate juice, hibiscus-vanilla bean syrup, and sparkling wine. With all those anti-oxidants, you could almost say it’s “healthy.”
By far the most refreshing and delicious infusion I created of the bunch was my Cucumber Mint Lime Infused Gin (with hints of lavender and juniper)–such a lively bright green that you’d think it was a green juice. Serve it with simply a splash of tonic…or go fancy with 1/2 oz. Elderflower liqueur, squeeze of fresh lime, and top off with sparkling water or wine.
The rule of thumb for infusions is don’t overfill past the max fill line and make sure you expel all the gas from the dispenser before unscrewing the top.
So if you’re sitting on some boring (maybe less than stellar) clear liquor, get creative, inject some flavor…and breathe new life into your cocktail game. Happy New Year!
Blue Lavender Vanilla Gin
- 2 c. gin
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split
- 2 sprigs fresh lavender
- 1/4 c. butterfly pea flower tea
Add all the ingredients into a .5 ltr capacity cream dispenser. Screw on top w/ dispensing tip attached, then screw on one N2O cartridge. Shake the dispenser vigorously about 20 times. Place a cup over the dispensing tip and carefully squeeze the handle to release all the gas in the canister. Unscrew the top and pour out the contents into a clean glass jar and screw on the lid. Let the contents steep at least 24 hrs. before straining.
Cranberry Pomegranate Hibiscus Sparkler
- 1 oz. cranberry-infused vodka*
- 2 oz. pomegranate juice
- 1/2 oz. hibiscus vanilla bean syrup*
- 3 oz. sparkling wine
- cocktail cherries, mint, and tangerine slice for garnish
Pour the vodka, juice and syrup into a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice. Cover and shake vigorously, then strain into a chilled glass and top off with sparkling wine. Garnish with fresh mint sprig, tangerine slice and cocktail cherries.
*Cranberry-Infused Vodka
- 3/4 c. crushed fresh cranberries
- 1 1/4 c. vodka
Add all the ingredients into a .5 ltr capacity cream dispenser. Screw on top w/ dispensing tip attached, then screw on one N2O cartridge. Shake the dispenser vigorously about 20 times. Place a cup over the dispensing tip and carefully squeeze the handle to release all the gas in the canister. Unscrew the top and strain out the cranberries.
*Hibiscus Vanilla Bean Syrup
- 2 c. sugar
- 2 c. water
- 1/3 c. dried hibiscus flowers
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split
Whisk together sugar and water in a sauce pan until sugar is dissolved, then bring the mixture to a boil. Add the hibiscus and vanilla. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 mins. covered. Remove from heat and let the ingredients steep for another 20 mins. Cool syrup to room temperature and strain.
Cucumber Mint Lime Infused Gin
- 1 Persian cucumber, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 c. fresh mint, coarse chopped
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 sprig fresh lavender
- 6-8 juniper berries
- 1 3/4 c. gin
Add all the ingredients into a .5 ltr capacity cream dispenser. Screw on top w/ dispensing tip attached, then screw on one N2O cartridge. Shake the dispenser vigorously about 20 times. Place a cup over the dispensing tip and carefully squeeze the handle to release all the gas in the canister. Unscrew the top and transfer content into a glass jar with lid. Let the infused liquor steep in the refrigerator for about 24 hrs., then strain.