Infusions, Extractions & Tinctures at Home: The Topic (Part 1)

[LittleChef22]

Hmmm.... I've been wanting to try this. It makes the Vodka taste so much better.

[Beebs]

Anyone have suggestions for what to do with a Thai chili-infused vodka? Bloody Caesars & Marys come to mind, but any non-savoury drink ideas? I messed around with adding it to a Cosmopolitan, which was pretty decent though a bit boring. The chili vodka definately needs to be diluted -- we tasted it on its own and it was rather painful....

[eje]

Watermelon drinks with a little spice are nice.

Watermelon Juice, lime juice, simple syrup or sugar, x amount of spicy vodka, x amount of regular vodka (or another more tasty liquor like White Rum, Cachaca, or Tequila).

[Chris Amirault]

I've futzed around with a margarita that included grapefruit and chili.

[Abra]

A lemongrass and lime leaf infused simple syrup sounds good with chile vodka.

[Amarantha]

Anyone have suggestions for what to do with a Thai chili-infused vodka? 

Equal parts chilli vodka, cranberry juice and soda, with a dash or two of lemon juice to taste. Good with lots of ice onna hot day.

(This was my what's-in-the-fridge variation on the Vodka McGovern.)

[jsmith]

Anyone have suggestions for what to do with a Thai chili-infused vodka?  Bloody Caesars & Marys come to mind, but any non-savoury drink ideas?  I messed around with adding it to a Cosmopolitan, which was pretty decent though a bit boring.  The chili vodka definately needs to be diluted -- we tasted it on its own and it was rather painful....

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I made one a couple months ago. 1 micky of vodka with 3 chilis for a day made it really spicy so I can see how easy it would be to go overboard.

I kept it in the freezer and either mixed it with ginger beer (pretty good), or drank it straight, using a glass stored in the freezer (better). Probably my best infusion to date, really satisfying on a hot day.

[Beebs]

Wow! These chili vodka suggestions sound great, keep 'em coming! Thanks!

[reeeeeen]

OK, so I was wandering around foodie sites. Mostly due to my recently listening to Anthony Bourdain’s ‘Kitchen Confidential’. I surfed my way to the foodie mecca http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=home. I got inspired and did the following:

In a clean jar, I put:

750ml (approx 3 cups) Luksosowa potato vodka

5 tea bags of Earl Grey tea

and let it sit for approx 5 hours.

I removed the tea bags and let it chill.

To make the Martini,

3 parts tea-infused vodka

1 part Caravella Limoncello

1 slice lemon

It is wonderful!

I’m not fond of mint but I bet a sprig of mint would be divine with this also.

[Anna N]

As any ex-pat Dane knows, Aalborg Distillieries no longer export to North America. For the first time in our married lives we have no Akvavit in the house! Some people apparently were forewarned of this decision by the distiller and were able to stock up. The Danish-Canadian clubs in the provinces bought up stock like mad. Unfortunately we didn't find out until there was no stock left in Canada. Now we are depending on friends travelling to Europe to bring us back a bottle.

I have contacted the distiller directly and begged them to reconsider but you can guess how far that got me.

Christmas without akvavit is unthinkable and our annual Danish lunch for friends and family is in jeopardy!

Importing alcohol into Ontario is complex and expensive process and hence is not an option.

It looks as if the only way we can ensure a steady supply is to attempt to make our own.

I have searched the web but came up with only one recipe which looks highly suspicious since it calls for oak chips and IRISH???? whisky.

Can anyone help with a recipe that might come close to the strongly caraway-flavoured akvavit that comes in the green bottle with the red and white label? Please.

[eje]

Oh my!

Well, the Oak Chips and Irish Whiskey one sounds like it is trying to imitate an aged Aquavit like the Linie.

It is my understanding Andreas Viestad has a recipe for an infused Aquavit in "Kitchen of Light: New Scandinavian Cooking". If you search for Viestad and Aquavit in Google, a couple versions show up.

You also might try and drop a line to the person behind the Danish Schnapps Recipes website, if you can track down their email. They have a caraway schnapps recipe that might not be too far away from Danish Akvavit.

[Anna N]

Oh my!

Well, the Oak Chips and Irish Whiskey one sounds like it is trying to imitate an aged Aquavit like the Linie.

It is my understanding Andreas Viestad has a recipe for an infused Aquavit in "Kitchen of Light: New Scandinavian Cooking".  If you search for Viestad and Aquavit in Google, a couple versions show up.

You also might try and drop a line to the person behind the Danish Schnapps Recipes website, if you can track down their email.  They have a caraway schnapps recipe that might not be too far away from Danish Akvavit.

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Many thanks, eje. I had only searched on the spelling I am accustomed to "Akvavit" but I see that a broader search brings up other possibilities. I will be trying the caraway recipe from The Danish Schnapps Recipes site.

[Tomek]

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to try to get some information about something that is very traditional here in Poland (sorry about the long post).

We have a tradition here of making infusions or what the dictionary translates into English as "tinctures". The basic idea is pretty much standard - take something from nature and put it in vodka or usually the recipes specify "rectified spirit" - the really potent 90 ABV flavourless alcohol and sugar. They are usually left to mature for months and if possible even years and almost always dilluted with water at some point in the process.

Making these "nalewka" as they are called is a tradition in our country that goes back centuries and autumn is the time to make them. Some of them are considered to have medicinal properties (like the gralic ones).

My dad always makes one with black cherries or wild cheries and wallnuts using the unripe nuts in their green shells.

And this is pretty much my question - has anyone tried to make infusions/tinctures with things like:

Rowan - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbus_aucuparia

Wild rose berries or fruits

Quince (I think I saw one in the previous posts)

Blackberries

Prunes

Anna N - this is a recipe I'm going to try today. I don't know if it will help to achieve what you want to make:

100g Caraway Seeds

3/4 L of Rectified Spirit

1/4 L of Water

Orange peel from 1/4 Orange

300 g of Sugar

The recipe is something like this:

Crush the caraway seeds and put in a jar with the spirit, water and orange peel for 2 months.

After this time add the sugar and leave for 2 weeks. Then pass through a seive/cloth to clear. Bottle and leave for another 2 months.

What is the difference between an infusion and a tincture ?

Is it just the amount of time that the flavouring part is left in the alcohol ?

Can anyone also tell me if there is a difference if I use vodka or rectified spirits from a chemical reaction side?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Edited September 22, 2007 by Tomek (log)

[Anna N]

. . .

We have a tradition here of making infusions or what the dictionary translates into English as "tinctures".

. . .

Anna N - this is a recipe I'm going to try today. I don't know if it will help to achieve what you want to make:

100g Caraway Seeds

3/4 L of Rectified Spirit

1/4 L of Water

Orange peel from 1/4 Orange

300 g of Sugar

The recipe is something like this:

Crush the caraway seeds and put in a jar with the spirit, water and orange peel for 2 months.

After this time add the sugar and leave for 2 weeks. Then pass through a seive/cloth to clear. Bottle and leave for another 2 months.

. . .

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Sorry that I cannot help you on the tincture/infusion question as all this is very new to me. Thanks for the recipe. Right now we have two infusions going and I will see how these two work out before trying anything else. But I am very appreciative of your help.

[rubyred]

I've got to bring this topic out of hibernation!!!

I'm trying to get organized for when the fresh fruit gets here. (How very Martha of me, considering the 7 feet of snow covering everyone's lawns in Montreal!)

I've been inching my way through the thread (and tho I'm only up to page 6!) I haven't seen much talk about stone fruit pit infusions. I think someone mentioned trying out cherry, but I don't recall seeing what the results were. I'm curious about fruits like peaches, apricots, and plums. Does anyone have any thought?

Thanks to everyone who posted the results of their experiments!

[rubyred]

Look what happens when you can't even wait to finish page 6 before posting!

ninetofive's post (#180) talks about cyanide poisoning. She seems to be more adventurous than me... Does anyone know if stone fruit pit liqueur will kill me?

I can't wait to read pages 7 & 8. Never before has following an egullet thread provided a cliffhanger like this! This is better than TV!

(To the eGullet PR department: Feel free to use my glowing endorsement (above) in future promotional materials.)

[bostonapothecary]

Look what happens when you can't even wait to finish page 6 before posting!

ninetofive's post (#180) talks about cyanide poisoning.  She seems to be more adventurous than me...  Does anyone know if stone fruit pit liqueur will kill me?

I can't wait to read pages 7 & 8.  Never before has following an egullet thread provided a cliffhanger like this!  This is better than TV!

(To the eGullet PR department:  Feel free to use my glowing endorsement (above) in future promotional materials.)

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i've used fruit pits in bitters and haven't died...

cassava is supposedly loaded with cyanide. and to create flour its processed in different way to remove the toxicity... heat is one way to remove the cyanide. so i imagine toasting the pits might decrease your chance of poisoning yourself...

i can't say for sure that the method works but if you want to learn more about cyanide in food read about cassava and manioc...

[DCP]

I've been inching my way through the thread (and tho I'm only up to page 6!) I haven't seen much talk about stone fruit pit infusions. I think someone mentioned trying out cherry, but I don't recall seeing what the results were. I'm curious about fruits like peaches, apricots, and plums. Does anyone have any thought?

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MiguelCardoso posted a link to The Danish Schnapps Page in post #83 above, with many recipes. As it happens, they have recipes for infusions of peach, apricot, plum, and many others.

[DCP]

The recent activity in this thread reminds me that my intentions to post updates on my own experiments never came to pass. I humbly repent and will henceforth correct this omission.

Ginger: I peeled and microplaned a 3-inch knob of fresh ginger, steeping in 375 ml of leftover cheap 80-proof vodka. I let it sit about 1 month, then strained through coffee filters. The resulting liquid has a wicked burn that is certainly not all due to the cheap spirit from which it started. One issue of note: despite the use of coffee filters, there is still nearly 2 cm of fine particulate matter at the bottom of the bottle. No other infusion has ever refused to de-sediment with a coffee filter for me before. Ideas?

Tamarind: taking 1 package of preserved tamarind pods (sugared and dried, about 15 pods), I removed the seeds and chopped the pulp into ~1 cm. chunks. This steeped in 375 ml of the same cheap vodka for about 1 month, then filtered. The resulting liquid is a transparent dark brown, and wonderful straight - channelling the fruit's sweet/sour punch well. I'm still not sure what to mix it with.

Pomegranate: the muddled seeds of 1 pomegranate, in 375 ml of vodka, and refrigerated. This presented some challenges. Firstly, the seeds didn't really want to muddle. For all I pressed, they appeared to stay mostly whole and keep the juice to themselves. I could have ground or blended the mass, but didn't want to expose too much of the seed surface area with its potential bitterness. I agitated and re-muddled this every few days for about 4 weeks, and each time it smelled awful. It sat in the back of the fridge for weeks until a friend's recent visit prompted showing it off. ("Hey, smell this!") As it turned out, it no longer smelled bad - sharp and fruity, with a lovely ruby color. A perfunctory taste test was also nice. It's still in the fridge, at about 10 weeks now, waiting for me to get around to straining and bottling it.

[bostonapothecary]

Pomegranate:  the muddled seeds of 1 pomegranate, in 375 ml of vodka, and refrigerated.  This presented some challenges.  Firstly, the seeds didn't really want to muddle.  For all I pressed, they appeared to stay mostly whole and keep the juice to themselves.  I could have ground or blended the mass, but didn't want to expose too much of the seed surface area with its potential bitterness.  I agitated and re-muddled this every few days for about 4 weeks, and each time it smelled awful.  It sat in the back of the  fridge for weeks until a friend's recent visit prompted showing it off.  ("Hey, smell this!")  As it turned out, it no longer smelled bad - sharp and fruity, with a lovely ruby color.  A perfunctory taste test was also nice.  It's still in the fridge, at about 10 weeks now, waiting for me to get around to straining and bottling it.

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i use alot of pomegranite seeds. you don't want to muddle them. the flavor is in the mucilage on the outside. they just need patience and the alcohol will do all the work...

i've been working on experiments for using wine makers techniques to scale to clarifiying batches of liqueurs smaller than a gallon... i prefer cloth to coffee filters and sometimes you do it once. let it sit for a couple months. small particles clump and then you can take huge amounts of it out with the second filtration after it sits...

[eje]

[...]

Tamarind:  taking 1 package of preserved tamarind pods (sugared and dried, about 15 pods), I removed the seeds and chopped the pulp into ~1 cm. chunks.  This steeped in 375 ml of the same cheap vodka for about 1 month, then filtered.  The resulting liquid is a transparent dark brown, and wonderful straight - channelling the fruit's sweet/sour punch well.  I'm still not sure what to mix it with.

[...]

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This leaved me wondering about some of the other things you might find in a crack seed store.

Anyone tried Li Hing Mui? Chuckle, how about Cuttlefish?

[rubyred]

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[bostonapothecary]

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i've used fruit pits in bitters and haven't died...

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[haresfur]

I recently celebrated surviving the 'flu season by infusing some of my massive bag of candied ginger into vodka and have a few questions like, "Now what?"

I filled a pint mason jar about 1/3 - 1/2 full of coarsely chopped candied ginger topped it up with Fris vodka and let sit for about a week. Had a really hard time filtering it through coffee filters - clogged immediately. Any ideas why or a better way to filter?

BTW, I mixed the leftover ginger with orange marmalade and slathered it on a chunk of halibut that I baked - yummy.

Right now the infusion is sitting in the deep freeze and I have only tasted the potent drops spilled on my fingers. Do I want to let it age at room temperature for a while longer? Would that kill the heat (and would that be a good or a bad thing?).

So where would this stuff work better than say, ginger beer, in a cocktail? I don't think it is something that would be wonderful neat. The only idea I found upthread was #42.

Then, I was wondering if you get a different flavor from a ginger-alcohol infusion from a ginger syrup, and if there is any advantage to each. Opinions?

Thanks everyone. In the last year my liquor cabinet went from an ancient bottle of Oban, Cointreau, and some CC to overflowing so I'm still getting the hang of things.

[haresfur]

First trial of the ginger infusion I made. It didn't freeze in the chest freezer - so far so good. Straight it is strong but sippable - not bad. Then I threw some stuff together:

2 oz Appleton White Rum

1/2 oz ginger vodka

1/2 oz cheap Triple Sec

2 oz lime juice

1 oz 1:1 simple syrup (or was it 1/2 oz :-(

Shake with ice, strain, serve with 1 cube and a lime wedge.

Threw in a tad more ginger. I think it has promise