infused liquor

Boozy Goji Berry N' Cherry Limeade

Can you feel it? Can you smell it... hear it.... TASTE IT?!? Yup, that would be summer just around the corner. And while I'm not tryna rush spring (can we talk about this perf weather y'all?) it doesn't mean we can't start to plan ahead for the long, sweltering, FL summer days to come.

Lately we've been pretty into the idea of dousing our favorite smoothies and milkshakes with, to be clear, liquor. So when goji berries AND frozen cherries were on sale last week, it was kinda like how can we take these perfectly sweet and tart fruits and slushify them with booze? Easy.

The real wowzer in this recipe is the goji berry soaked vodka. Easy to do, doesn't take long (but of course when infusing liquids the longer the better), plus the berries really rub their flavor off on the otherwise flavorless vodka. And at this point in the game jus tryna get tips probably outweighs being nutritionally proactive, but FYI goji berries are really good for you too.

Classic flavor combo with a twist *literally* and yr warm weather martini game just went through the roof.

Ingredients:

1 cup vodka (for every 1 cup, use 1/4 cup goji berries)
Goji berries
4 Fresh limes
1/2 cup Organic sweet dark cherries (we used frozen ones)
Optional:  Cerise Limón La Croix
ce

*makes two cocktails, give or take

Method:

1. Soak your goji berries in your vodka overnight, or longer. Use a jar with an airtight lid. And ratio of goji to vodka is to yr liking.

2. When ready to make the cocktail, add your cherries, ice, and juice from three limes into a blender. Run blender on low speed.

3. Next, add your vodka to the mixture and blend again on low for just a few seconds. *or you can just transfer all this to a cocktail shaker

4. Grab your glasses and fill half way with the cherry-lime seltzer. Top off the remaining with your vodka cherry mix from the blender,

5. Garnish with a lime wedge and fresh gojis sprinkled atop!

What's the dill?! Cucumber And Dill Infused Vodka

So we loooove dill. On like everything. Popcorn, chickpeas, brussels sprouts, etc. The rest of the world really loves it too: Poland throws it in soups (borscht 1 luv), Sweden pickles it with fish, the French sprinkle it on pastries, Africa marinates their meat with dill, Germany likes their dill pickles, and Holland steeps it in hot milk (ew?) As a culinary herb, dill does a job well done as fresh, dried, or fermented. Plus it's packed with nutritional and medicinal superpowers: dill has significant amounts of vitamin A and C, beta-carotene, folic acid, and serious amount of anti-oxidants; medicinally, dill has been used to treat poor digestion, insomnia, headaches, increase breast milk, and balance blood sugar levels. Pro tip! Dill is fairly simple to grow, prefers full sun and can reach up to 3 ft. tall.

All this to say, def got super excited when we picked-up our Ten-Speed Greens CSA last week, to find fresh beautiful dill! So naturally we were like "omg cocktails!" Took it next level and decided to infuse this presh herb in some classy vodka, with a well paired veggie, the cucumber. Vodka is a great liquor to use for infusions, as its "generally" odorless and flavorless. Likewise it also makes it a good choice if you're low on the money flow- international importation can increase the price of vodkas, rather than its quality. Historically, vodka was used solely for medicinal purposes: for disinfection, pain, and external wounds. Today it is still used medicinally, more for internal wounds. 

Anyway one thing led to another, and now we have the PERFECT mixer for the PERFECT Bloody Mary (recipe soon to come!). 

Infusing liquor is easy. You just need an airtight jar and some patience. Fresh dill can be particularly potent, so really not too much patience for this mix. We're going to let ours soak for a week or less? But would probably be good to use after about 42 hours. Plus since dill is a natural treatment for headaches... well, you do the math.

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh dill
1 small to medium sized cucumber
Vodka of choice (depending on size jar, you will need about the same oz, maybe a little less)
An airtight jar (either 8 oz or 16 oz will do)

Method:

1. Chop thick stems from the dill. 
2. Cut and peel cucumber
3. Place both in jar, and then pour in your vodka.
4. Seal sit and lit sit for up to 48 hours.
5. Enjoy! 

Ch Ch Ch Cherry (bomb) Soaked Bourbon

The first time we did this recipe, we took a sip of the final product and thought to ourselves: Why have we never done this before?  Yes, cherry soaked bourbon, or bourbon soaked cherries, is so delicious that the idea of even adding a mixer seems upsetting. Bonus(!) is that you get those nice booze soaked cherries too- versatile, delicious, but still a little tart (that glass of diet coke just got a lot more exciting ).  

As summer comes to a close, the easiest way to find cherries is in the frozen foods aisle.  Not so bad though, considering they're already pitted. Be sure to not use Moschino cherries, as those have already lost their stiff texture and often come with added sugar.

As far as bourbon is concerned, we recommend to steer clear of those bottom shelf brands. Even though the bourbon is being infused with the sweet and tangy cherry flavors, having a smoother starting point will pay off in the end. Yet, we know what it's like to be on a budget, so sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do (we're lookin' at you, Jim Beam).

The process is so simple, so quick, and so so tasty. Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

1 bottle of bourbon whiskey (you're choice, we chose to use Marker's Mark)
About 1 to 2 cups of pitted cherries
Honey, or an alternative sweetener, to taste

 

 

Method: 

1. Pour the bourbon into a sauce pan with your sugar of choice, to dilute the mixture. You don't need to keep a boil, just enough heat to combine the elements. 

2. Place the cherries in an airtight container, such as a mason jar. 

3. Pour the bourbon mixture over the cherries. 

4. Close the container, and then wait anywhere from 10 to 24 hours before enjoying your bourbon. However, the longer it marinates the better, so even a few days would be good.