Saturday, August 27, 2005

'Nother Booze Post

Everybody seems to be doing infused vodkas this summer. I know BunnyFoot and The Novato Experiment (links, right ->) have blogged about it, and I just saw another one the other day, but I forget who it was.
So Little Miss Copycat Smartypants is joining the hoochparty.
My first attempt was strawberry-infused cheapo no-name vodka. Believe me, the luscious perfume of the berries totally trumped the gaseous odor of the generic giggle juice. And it's "gwudgeous" to boot. Look:
My next attempt is a fennel bud infusion, which I started just this afternoon after a trip to the fabulous little farmers' market in Point Reyes Station for provisions. On the way home we passed fields and fields of ripe, blooming, wild fennel. There has been no noticeable coloring of the vodka yet, so I'm betting it won't turn the lovely shade of yellow I had hoped for. But I'm guessing it will develop a wacky, herbaceous anisette-like flavor.
After that, I'm planning to brew a Meyer lemon rind infusion, and I'm assured by Rae at BunnyFoot that it will turn yellow.
Speaking of shopping for provisions: I'm feeling a little wistful that the Eat Local Challenge month is drawing to a close. But then [slaps some sense into self] I don't really have to quit doing this, do I?

10 comments:

Jamie said...

The s.o. has two different kinds of vodka-based blackberry liquor aging in the pantry. We run our cheap-ass vodka through a Brita filter several times before we use it, just to get the funk out.

Re: the end of the month, you are so right! We were just talking about it and we both agreed that, although there will be no hard and fast rules, localism should be (in his words) "the guiding principle" of our food buying from now on.

cookiecrumb said...

OK, that clinches it. I was thinking about getting a Brita filter, and now I have the perfect reason. Merci, you.
S.O. sounds like my kinda guy. Well, he sounds like my guy!
xx

MizD said...

Oh, I am so pointing Chopper in the direction of this post. Ahem, experimental kitchen boy who knows how much I love my vodka tonics with flavored vodka? HINT HINT HINT! :-)

cookiecrumb said...

OK, let's talk flavors. I'm thinking herbs. Sage? Would mint be gross?
Chopper, dude: Listen to reason.
xx

Monkey Gland said...

pear? sloe? lemongrass? fig??

Anonymous said...

Obachan at kokonuggettyumyum.blogspot.com has a post on infused vodka ... yummy
God bless, Christine in Los Angeles

cookiecrumb said...

Christine -- That's it! That was the one I couldn't remember. Obachan is a treasure.
thanks
Monkey Gland: Fig! ;-)

Anonymous said...

If you can find an herb called Buffalo Grass, try it. There's a Polish product called Zubrowka that's basically a buffalo grass-infused vodka, and it's yummy, but hard to find in the US.

The Brita filter is a terrific idea--thanks.

cookiecrumb said...

Cosmo: Probably can't find it near here... What does it taste like?
PS: My wild fennel infusion had to be pulled off the buds in less than 24 hours! Intense. And (ohgod) really good. Good and Plenty in a glass.

Monkey Gland said...

Zubrowka and Apple Juice....stunning but seriously deadly