The Infusing of Vodka

So here I am with an idea that I want to infuse my own vodkas. I have to say that in my brief stint as a bartender, that has to be the most daunting task that I have put in front of myself. This is not to say that learning how to bartend on a daily basis isn't a daunting task. It most definitely is. But in keeping with my philosophy of learning something new everyday, I'm trying to learn how flavors mix within spirits. I believe last year that my friend and co-worker Rhea infused her own Bacon Vodka to use in her Bloody Mary's. So since then I've been curious. Since I had some apples and oranges that my dad gave me a few days ago, I decided to make some flavored vodkas.

For the vodka I decided to use New Amsterdam Vodka. Why? To be honest, I don't know a damn thing about New Amsterdam vodka. From what I've read and heard from other bartenders, you can pretty much use any kind of vodka for infusing, since the bottle of New Amsterdam only cost $19.99. I didn't think going top shelf for an experiment to be very prudent. I figured, what the hey. If I screw it up, then I only waste $20 bucks. Plus the bottle was cool looking and with a tag line that read "A Taste So Smooth You Can Drink It Straight" how can I go wrong. Right?

Well folks, I tried it straight and it was tasted somewhat "rubbing alcohol-ish". Based on the review by Matt Goldstein & Amy K. Haight in their article Vodka’s To Avoid: New Amsterdam Vodka & Smirnoff Whipped Cream Flavored Vodka from the Whiskey Goldmine website they believe it is best used as a mixing vodka. So I guess my choice isn't a bad one from my purposes. So I chopped up the apples and oranges and in separate mason jars I filled them with the New Amsterdam vodka. Here's the end result:

Based on Rhea's advice, I should leave them at room temperature for a few days and then taste it. At that point I can choose to keep infusing it or strain out the fruit for consumption. My friend Will also suggested I use Pineapples and Strawberries for infusion. I also received the suggestion of making a Pepper and Ginger (not sure if together or individually) from my friend Dawn. I'm going to have to try those soon but I think that I might want to make an infusion of my name sake: SiscoVanilla. Maybe I'll make a Vanilla Rum infusion to have with Diet Coke as a Vanilla Coke, or Cherries in Rum for a Cherry Coke, or...Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll let you know how it comes about in a few days.

Any suggestions? Ideas? Please comment or email me at siscovanilla@gmail.com.

Happy Drinking,
SiscoVanilla