Infused With Love...and Lakeview Vodka!
It’s officially spring. If you haven’t already started your seedlings, you best get going! Your garden is counting on you!
As we look forward to this year’s garden, we have to admit we still have some canned veggies, jams, and dried herbs from last year. They were a real treat when the snow was flying, and remembering that got us thinking: They’re also perfect to add to our cocktails while we wait for the May flowers to show up!
How? We’re talking infusions!
You can use just about anything to infuse some bonus flavor in a bottle of Lakeview Vodka. It takes very little preparation, and it makes a great drink even better! Depending on what you have in mind, you can infuse fruit for refreshing cocktails or veggies for dynamite Bloody Marys and more. It’s all up to you!
We recommend pouring a bottle of Lakeview Vodka into a large Mason jar (no plastic jars, please) and adding one of the following (JUST one—keep it simple, at least until you’ve done this a few times):
2 pickles, diced
½ cup jalapeños or other hot peppers, diced (you can add this to the pickles if you’re planning for bloodies)
¼ cup fruit preserves (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry…you name it)
½ cup rhubarb, chopped (can use frozen rhubarb if you thaw it first)
½ cup mint, chopped or crushed
5 sprigs of rosemary, crushed
½ cup beets, diced
¼ cup dried herbs (cloves, basil, etc.)
…the list goes on! Basically, anything you might have pickled, jarred, dried, or otherwise preserved can be added to Lakeview Vodka for an exciting new flavor.
Keep your jar in a cool, dark place for 7 days, shaking it once a day. Taste after half a dozen days or so to see how strong your infusion is (maybe after 3 days for a hot pepper infusion). Not strong enough? Let it sit! The longer it sits, the stronger the flavor gets—though we would recommend moving the jar to your fridge after 10 days.
When you’re happy with the flavor, strain out any solids that might be floating around in there with a fine mesh strainer or even a coffee filter. Store your masterpiece in your fridge and use it in your favorite cocktail. Get ready to enjoy a taste of summer any time of the year!