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    Home » Recipes » Holiday » Valentine's Day » DIY Tangelo-Cardamom Vodka & a Valentine’s Cocktail!

    LAST UPDATED: July 7, 2018 • FIRST PUBLISHED: February 6, 2013 By Toni Dash 11 Comments

    DIY Tangelo-Cardamom Vodka & a Valentine’s Cocktail!

    Jump to Recipe

    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Homemade Tangelo-Cardamom Vodka Valentine\'s Cocktail

    I love celebrating the flavors of the season both in their natural form but in ways that keeps them around a bit longer too. I personally love experimenting with infusing in liquor because it does not expire quickly. I often use vodka, which has been cultivated to be neutral in flavor and color in most cases. It’s perfect to absorb and showcase the essence of fruit, herbs and vegetables. My home pantry tells the tale of my madcap antics in the form of abundant Mason jars in various stages of creation!

    Tangelos on a plate

    It’s citrus season and though that is not a Colorado crop we are fortunate to have Snowbird relations who flee to warmer winter regions and share the bounty by shipping us boxes of fresh orchard fruit. An accidental snafu on a recent order left us with triple the usual gift and an avalanche of fruit desperate for quick eating. Not knowing a small colony of scurvy victims I was forced to put on my creative culinary hat to start several projects simultaneously to save the uber ripe tangelos and grapefruit.

    My mind is all about Valentine’s Day right now and a light, fresh, seasonal infusion seemed fun. Three of the five tiers in the gargantuan delivery box were of tangelos, as large as a newborn baby’s head I might add. Their tender, sunset-hued flesh was bursting with delicate perfumed juice turning a room instantly to an ode to springtime with the first rip of peel. I realized a meager jar of Tangelo-Cardamom Vodka was not going to make a huge dent, or a dent at all, but I was inspired so two tangelos were contributed for the cause.

    Ingredients for Tangelo Cardamom infused

    Tangelos and cardamom pods

    Tangelo infused vodka

    Tangelo infused vodka From overhead

    When infusing liquor I always consider the flavors involved to come up with a winning combination. In this case the tangelo was very lightly flavored and sweet with the chance to be overwhelmed by stronger liquor or heavy botanicals in something like gin. I also did not want to risk the potential bitterness of the peel or pith so removed that before infusing. Pairing with vodka was the right choice and the result was a light elixir, simple and lovely; perfect for Valentine’s Day.

    Glass goblet and bowl of raspberries

    Jigger of liquor poring into glass

     

    Homemade Tangelo-Cardamom Vodka Valentine's Cocktail

    Tangelo-Cardamom Vodka & a Valentine’s Cocktail!

    A simple, seasonal vodka infusion of Tangelo and Cardamom pods renders a unique, refreshing vodka perfectly paired with many mixers. The Valentine's Cocktail is a very light, refreshing cocktail with a hint of sweetness, the freshness of citrus and the joy a bubbly cocktail brings!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Save Recipe Recipe Saved! Pin Rate
    Course: Cocktail
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 5 days 10 minutes
    Servings: 2 cups aproxmiately Tangelo-Cardamom Vodka; 1 cocktail per recipe below
    Calories: 74kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
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    Ingredients

    Ingredients for the Tangelo-Cardamom Vodka:

    • 2 cups unflavored vodka
    • 2 large tangelos , peeled, segmented and cut into 1 inch pieces*
    • 4 whole cardamom pods

    Ingredients for the Valentine's Cocktail:

    • 1 ½ ounce Tangelo-Cardamom Vodka
    • ½ ounce St. Germain liqueur
    • Sparkling Raspberry Italian Soda (or a splash of sparkling raspberry soda combined with club soda or seltzer water)
    • Raspberries

    Instructions

    Instructions for Tangelo-Vodka:

    • Allow to sit for 5 days. Taste. If the flavor is strong enough for your liking, pour liquid through a strainer pressing on the tangelo with a wooden spoon to extract all the juice and liquid but restraining the peel and membrane from the final product. If wishing to have a stronger flavor, allow to sit longer, tasting daily until the desired result is achieved.

    Instructions for the Valentine's Cocktail:

    • Place a few raspberries in the bottom of a champagne flute. Combine the vodka and St. Germain in champagne flute. Top with sparkling raspberry soda.

    Notes

    *I always recommend tasting what you will be infusing. I’d suggest buying an extra tangelo to gauge how full its flavor is. I’m sure you’ve encountered desiccated fruit with barely any juice and even less flavor. This infusion is best with juicy, distinctly flavorful fruit.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 74kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 0mg | Sugar: 2g
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @boulderlocavore or tag #boulderlocavore!

    Tangelo-Cardamom Vodka cocktail

    Tangelo-Cardamom Vodka cocktails on a tray

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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    TONI DASH
    Toni Dash head shot

    Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutrition Coach and the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of Boulder Locavore®. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her seasonal recipes bring excitement to the dining table for both gluten-free and gluten diners. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Debra says

      February 07, 2013 at 1:52 am

      What a happy accident! I wish my relatives in south Texas and Arizona would some some of this citrus love my way! Great use of the surplus.

      Reply
    2. john@kitchenriffs says

      February 06, 2013 at 1:39 pm

      Lovely cocktail – looks great and it certainly sounds tasty. I should start infusing vodka – I love flavored vodkas but find the regular stuff to be rather uninteresting (because it lacks flavor). Anyway, great pictures and wonderful post – thanks.

      Reply
    3. Taking On Magazines says

      February 06, 2013 at 11:19 am

      I adore anything citrus, cardamom and St. Germain so it seems you’ve created this cocktail with me in mind. If not, please don’t tell me. I love how delicately colored the final drink is. Definitely Valentine’s worthy.

      Reply
    4. Happy Valley Chow says

      February 06, 2013 at 9:36 am

      5 stars
      Looks and sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        February 06, 2013 at 9:56 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
    5. Dulcie says

      February 06, 2013 at 9:00 am

      Yum, sounds really interesting!

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        February 06, 2013 at 9:56 am

        It’s really light and fresh Dulcie. Something delicate and slightly pink at this cold, dry time of year struck my fancy!

        Reply
    6. Batya says

      February 06, 2013 at 8:49 am

      Toni, this looks and sounds delicious! Is it too early to have one? (Yes, it’s been that kind of week!) My in-laws (in NY) have close friends who send them amazing citrus from Texas and Florida. I think I need to cultivate my own Snowbird relationships…and get some winter fruits sent to Colorado. Stat.

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        February 06, 2013 at 9:55 am

        The citrus we get is from an orchard near Naples Florida. It’s always incredibly flavorful and juicy. Love it when the box shows up though the triple order accident put a bit of consumption pressure on this round!

        Reply
    7. Meeling says

      February 06, 2013 at 7:17 am

      Sounds delicious! Must try this infusion and the cocktail sounds lovely – I enjoy St. Germain in mixed cocktails. We are about 3/4 of the way done with homemade limoncello – still needs some tweaking as right now it’ll knock your socks off!

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        February 06, 2013 at 9:54 am

        I have never made Limoncello Meeling; you’ll have to ‘report back’ on the end result! I find myself loving quick infusions like this one. The St. Germain works well because it is not a strongly flavored infusion; more like a ‘flirtation with spring’! Adding other light mixers keeps it refreshing and fun!

        Reply

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    About Toni Dash

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    Welcome! I’m Toni. I’m a Certified Nutrition Coach and my goal is to MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER with delicious, well-tested recipes and travel tips! More About Me …

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