Cocktail Party Creations

We’re normally into all-ages sorts of crafts, but once in a while a crafty gal has got to cut loose! How about fancying up your next cocktail party with a home-made vodka infusion?

Many store bought “infused” vodkas are full of mystery sweeteners and artificial flavors. Keep all those unwanted chemicals out of your cocktail and get creative at the same time! You can even go for an organic vodka.

This infusion recipe only takes a few days, so if you get started soon, you’ll be all set for any Thanksgiving shindigs! Here is a basic recipe and a couple of flavor suggestions to get you going:

Basic Vodka Infusion

clean glass containers – bonus points if you rescue something from the recycle bin! Old juice bottles or large glass jars work great for this.
funnel, for pouring the vodka into your container
organic vodka of your choice
fruits, veggies, and herbs of your choice
cheese cloth, for straining

To prepare:

Clean your glass container out really well with hot, soapy water. Make sure it’s totally dry.
Cut up your ingredients into large chunks and stab each piece multiple times with a fork. If you’re using fresh herbs, you can leave these whole.
Put your fruits, veggies, and/or herbs into a glass container, fill with vodka of your choice, and let the mixture steep for 2-3 days.
Strain your concoction through the cheese cloth a couple of times, trying to get out as much sediment as you can. If you used herbs, you can actually stick them back into the bottle after straining for a decorative touch.

The best part about infusions is that you can get experimental! Try fun combinations of fruits, herbs, and even veggies and see what you get! You can mix these into cocktails, serve them over ice, or combine them with a little simple syrup and soda water to really bring out the flavors in the vodka. If you’re not sure what you want to try, here are a couple of tasty options:

lemon cucumber – this would be great in a Bloody Mary or sweetened with a little soda water and maybe a sprig of organic mint?
basil – totally delicious mixed with pomegranate juice. Fact!
whole vanilla bean – perfect for making white Russians. White Russians are easy to veganize, too – just substitute almond or soy milk for the light cream
pear – try mixing this one with raspberry soda
garlic – yet another infusion that’s great in a bloody mary.

This list is far from comprehensive. Experiment with different flavors, and have fun! Have you made any boozy infusions? Tell us all about it in the comments!

By Becky Striepe, Green Options

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Bren R.

9:24PM PST on Jan 28, 2012

These sound great, especially the cuke and mint! But I'm thinking vanilla bean and lemon? Ginger and orange? Or I wonder if maybe toasted pecan and peaches??? H'mmm - time to hit the liquor store!