Friend of Julie: Ginger-Infused Vodka

With the promise of a Winter Storm that could go down in the history books of crippling New England blizzards - what's a girl to do with an unplanned day off work? Fill a crock-pot with Italian sausages, onions, peppers, homemade sauce, and while it simmers all day, do other fun things. What's more fun than making ginger-infused Vodka for herself and a friend, even if they have to wait a few months before having a drink?

Ginger-infused vodka that I made today.

Before this program my preferred drink was a white ginger cosmopolitan. The drink had ingredients that are not on program, so I developed my own homemade version of ginger-infused vodka. I added a shot of the infused vodka to ice, seltzer, with fresh lemon and lime. Two is my limit and I never have this if I'm driving anywhere.

Ginger infused martini

And yes it's true: I named my 10 week old rescue kitty Ginger, after the white ginger cosmo. When I adopted her, 3 years ago, I couldn't decide on her name. I was making friends a my ginger-infused drink when the name came to me. Some of her fur is the color of the the skin on raw ginger, so the name seemed perfect. Later I would discover Ginger is one of the most popular of cat names and that it is most common for orange cats. Ah well, her name suits her and now I have this great story.

Now, on to my recipe...

Homemade Ginger-Infused Vodka

Today I used two 750-m bottles of vodka to see if the infusion process is shorter. Bigger bottles are cheaper, but last week I promised my Thai Place bartender friend I would make him a bottle, so the smaller bottles made sense. Before handing it off to him, I'll open the bottle to make sure the ginger has done it's magic. My nose knows when the infusion is right. How do I know? Imagine what this fresh cut ginger in the photo below smells. In a few months, when you open the bottle the aroma will be similar.

Fresh thinly sliced ginger is essential.

Here's the ginger-infused vodka recipe I made today:

• slice about 1 cup of peeled ginger into thin match sticks
• remove the lid from two 750-ml bottles of Vodka
• add the slices of ginger until level of the vodka rises to the top
• add the top back to the bottle tightly
• store in a dark and cool place for 3-4 months

How to Serve

1. Slice a lemon and lime.
2. Place half of each into a sturdy, thick-bottomed glass with 6 or 7 mint leaves (optional).
3. Muddle* all of the above and set aside.
4. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
5. Pour a shot of ginger-infused vodka over the ice.
6. Cap the shaker and shake for about ten seconds.
7. Pour everything from the shaker into the glass you muddled in.
8. Top your drink with a splash of seltzer.
9. Ginger infused Martini: place all ingredients in the shaker, shake ten seconds, strain into a martini glass, and then drop a thin slice of lemon rind into the martini glass.

*To muddle is to combine ingredients, usually in the bottom of a mixing glass, by pressing them with a muddler (wooden paddle) before adding the majority of the liquid ingredients. You don't have to muddle, but really brings out the flavors.

Muddler

In the past when I made this infused vodka, I bought a really large bottle of vodka (1.75L) and waited 6-9 months before I serve it. In fact, the bottle shown below is coming up to a year old; it's very smooth and flavorful. When using the larger bottle, I poured out a shot or two to make room for the ginger. I didn't measure, but I used a piece of ginger about 2-3 inches long and dropped what looked like an obnoxious amount of ginger in the bottle.

I use the smaller bottles when I give them as gifts. Summer is a good time to make some if you want to give them for Christmas presents.

This is the larger size bottle I made a year ago. You can't add too much ginger.

Regardless of the size of vodka bottle you use, it's worth waiting several month before serving. I refrigerated my first bottle I made and I do not recommend this, as it never infused. You could refrigerate or freeze it after the flavor is released to your liking, but I never have.