Boozin' Infusion!

Lately, I have been so excited about infusing liquors!  I made Crema di Orangecello (adapted from a Crema di Limoncello recipe), Portuguese Milk Liqueur, and Strawberry Tequila...and each one has turned out ah-mazing!  My favorite has been the Crema di Orangecello with the Strawberry Tequila coming in a close second place.  The Milk Liqueur is very tasty, but not going to lie, it was a pain in the ass to make/strain.

Infusing liquors is super simple, guys!  All you do is take any unflavored liquor, put stuff in it, and bam!    The most popular infusions are probably fruit infusions, but herbs are used often, as well.  For instance, I want to try a vanilla bean and mint infusion in vodka or grain alcohol.  People have done peppercorns, basil, cilantro, etc. for bloody mary bases.  Citrus zests work wonderfully.  How about a lavender vodka?  Or blackberry, strawberry, mango, or pineapple?  You can find sooooo many tips and ideas on the internet for liquor infusions.

The most common infusions are done with vodkas and grain alcohols due to their strength and neutral flavor, but since I live in Texas and it's margarita season right now, I wanted to make a strawberry infused tequila.  Holy smokes, it's wonderful!  I've been enjoying the best, fresh, homemade strawberry on-the-rocks margaritas lately!  Below, you can see where I've used 2 lbs organic strawberries and one 1.75ml bottle of my favorite inexpensive 100% agave Tequila, Agavalez.  I chopped the strawberries, poured in the tequila, gave it a light smashing with a potato mashers just to help it out, and let sit for about 4 days (I think).  When the berries lost almost all their color, and the tequila turned red and smelled of strawberry heaven, I strained the mixture first through a mesh strainer, and then through coffee filters (if you want to be really anal about the clarity).  Then, pour back into the original tequila bottle, store in the fridge/freezer, and ENJOY!

The cool thing about infusions is that you 1) retain the full strength of the liquor (very important for this boozer!), and 2) obtain a full flavor without additives and sugars, and 3) it's completely customizable.  After I make another batch of orangecello, I think I'm going to try vanilla bean-mint vodka for my next infusion.  Oh, all the possibilities!

Depending on your tart and sweet preferences, here's a base recipe for my go-to margarita on the rocks:

• 3 key limes juiced
• 1/2 - 1 oz. simple syrup (to preference)*
• 1.5 oz. Strawberry Tequila (take it up to 2 oz. if you want a little stronger)
• 1/2 oz. Orange Liqueur (or Orangecello at my house)
• about 1/4 cup Water or Club Soda (more or less to preference - Coconut La Croix is really good here ;-))

*simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water dissolved.  Some recipes talk about simmering it on the stove, but that's not necessary.  I usually do, for myself, 1/4 cup sugar dissolved in 1/4 cup hot tap water.  This method is simple, fast, and totally suffices.

Mix all together.  Add ice.  Adjust simple syrup and water levels to your preference.  Remember, the ice will melt as you drink, so I usually make mine a little more concentrated in the beginning with that in mind.

Infuse some booze, friends!  It's so fun and so easy!

Here is a fun infusion blog I ran across.  Great for ideas!