Making Artfully Infused Spirits—at Home, Bar, or Anywhere

My friends often bring me spirits as gifts. It could be something exotic from their travels, or it might be something from their hometown distiller they’d like me to try. I appreciate these gifts, and I give them a serious tasting—but I don’t always like them, and that’s when I save them as a base for infusions.

What Is Infusion?

Infusion is when we extract flavors from something by suspending it in alcohol or other solvent. That includes water—when we make tea, we’re making an infusion. Yet alcohol is even more effective at extracting flavor and aroma compounds.

Vodka is definitely one of those spirits that I often save for infusing. Being mostly a whiskey and gin lover, I don’t find much excitement in vodka—there are certainly exceptions, but for the most part it doesn’t thrill me. However, I keep a healthy supply on hand for making infusions—and for serving to guests who might prefer lighter spirits.