Tri-Berry Mint Infused Vodka

A few weeks ago, I decided to try my hand at infused liquors. It sounds complicated, doesn’t it?

It’s not. At all.

A quick perusal of various food an cocktail blogs will prove that anyone – seriously, anyone – can infuse liquor. It’s really simple.

While the word infusion sounds somewhat complex and scientific, it refers to the simple process of extracting flavor from plant matter by soaking it in fluid, in this case, liquor.

That’s right, it’s just stuff steeping in booze for an extended period of time.

Again, not complicated.

So I bought some ingredients, purchased some Ball jars from Target (Did you know they’re NOT just hipster drinking vessels?) and got to work.

My first infusion was a simple combination of frozen berry medley (purchased from Costco in large quantity) mint leaves and vodka.

The following are approximations (infusing allows you to play it loose with your ingredients):

• 1.5 cups frozen berry medley (approximately equal parts blackberries, blueberries and raspberries)
• 2 tbsp torn mint leaves
• 1 cup vodka
• 1 pint Ball jar

I filled the jar nearly to the top with the frozen berry mixture, tossed in the mint, and topped it up (right to the rim) with the vodka.

As the berries melted and the vodka began soaking into them, an air pocket formed at the top of the jar. I filled this up after the first 24 hours with more vodka.

I let this soak for about three days, at which point I drained the liquid through a strainer, and put it back in the jar to use for mixing taasty beverages.

I also used the leftover berries to make a tasty ice cream topping.

To do this, I placed the drained berries into a small soup pan, added 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 cup of honey, and cooked the mixture down over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until it was reduced to about a cup of syrupy deliciousness.

Behold –