When I first began Boulder Locavore I was so enthusiastic about what was happening in the food scene I wrote about anything and everything. At the time I found a great deal of inspiration in Michael Pollan, in knowing my farmer, growing my own food, canning, making anything I could think of from scratch. I was like a long lost relative from Little House on the Prairie. If it had anything to do with food it was fodder for my blog. I wrote about a guy selling coffee on the street corner my kids’ then elementary school. I wrote about buying cookbooks on the cheap from Amazon.com sellers. I canned 150 pounds of tomatoes that year (just in case the circus stopped by I guess hankering for pasta with tomato sauce) motivated by reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle during a trip to Costa Rica. I was on fire.
I have always been in love with ingredients. They have provided my cooking inspiration as a seasonal eater. I would go to my CSA farm pick up or the Farmer’s Market, still do, to buy what was in season as well as what I’d never seen or cooked before. I would kibitz with the farmers (who smartly could suggest cooking methods to their patrons), decide what to do and basically held a seasonal culinary boot camp for myself in my own kitchen.
About this time I joined a few other bloggers in a monthly vintage recipe swap. A recipe would be selected for the month from a vintage cookbook and we would update it, reinvent it, deconstruct it, however we were moved to; then all post on the same day. I loved it! It truly was my foray into developing recipes. I’d let my imagination run wild and challenge myself to learn new cooking methods (largely self-taught) combining interesting flavors, to come up with a modern update I loved.
I do not recall why I began pairing my dishes with cocktails but I did. It became part of the challenge for me. And not just making cocktail; making the liquor to go in them too. The very first liquor infusion I made was for Apple Infused Vodka. To this day it is one of the most consistently visited infusions on Boulder Locavore. It’s a very simple recipe but makes a wonderful flavored vodka that has many uses from the simplest cocktail to those more elaborate.
A few weeks ago I bit the bullet and cleaned our kitchen pantry. It is an ample pantry with 5 foot long by 18 inch deep shelves; five of them plus the floor space making the equivalent of six. Plenty of room for a family of four and yet bottles of oils, vinegars and other jars of exotic origin were packed in to the point of the shelf edges, being lined up as though a condiment mass suicide as about to ensue hurling themselves from the shelves. Admittedly I was greatly at fault having taken up almost the full two top shelves with liquor and infusions!
As difficult as it was, I forced myself up to the top shelf to discard the Mason jars with mere tablespoons left of some concoction I’d made years ago and did not label. I definitely saved the Hedgerow Gin (something you want to be making at this time of year), the Cherry Bounce (another great recipe to be ready for the holidays), homemade Crème de Menthe, homemade Coffee Liqueur, DIY Lemon Vodka and the end of a batch of Apple Vodka. The moral of that story for me? It was time for a new infusion.
Another favorite seasonal infusion both of mine and Boulder Locavore readers has been Spiced Pear Vodka. I always know fall is in the air, not from the turning of the leaves, but from the visitors to that recipe. It’s wonderful for the holidays and for gifts.
Inspired by both these popular recipes I created an Apple Spiced Vodka infusion. With flavors of cinnamon, clove, cardamom, vanilla, orange peel, allspice berries and nutmeg, the vodka stands out as a celebration of the cold weather season. I’ve been loving heated spiced drinks lately like apple cider, Hot Buttered Rum, Hot Toddies, and Glogg (Scandinavian Spiced Wine). I could imagine the Spiced Apple Vodka in a traditional rocks cocktail or part of a heated cocktail to take the edge off in a steaming mug by the fireplace.
The recipe is simple to make and infuses for 5 days in a cool dark place. The yield is a smidge less than 4 cups and it can be doubled keeping the ingredient proportions the same. It would be a perfect gift or stocking stuffer and I’m including free printable gift tags if you find yourself so inclined! Simply print a sheet out using cardstock in your printer and cut them out.
Spiced Apple Vodka (infusion)
Ingredients
- 3 Apples (different varieties with one being Granny Smith); peeled, cored and chopped into large pieces
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks (3 ½ long)
- 5 Cardamom Pods
- ½ Vanilla Bean , slit vertically
- 10 Allspice Berries
- ¼ teaspoon Dried Orange Peel
- 1 Whole Nutmeg , shaved (grated on each side to expose the layer under the outer pod)
- 4 cups Vodka (unflavored)
- Printable Gift Tags
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large (6 cups or more) jar with lid. Seal and place in a dark, cool location for 5 days. Swirl the jar once daily to mix ingredients.
- Strain the infused vodka through a sieve to remove the large ingredients. Strain a second time through cheesecloth or a clean coffee filter to remove any smaller spice particles.
Susan says
This sounds very nice, but I’m not sure how to use it, given that I pretty much have never gotten into drinking cocktails. Just curious, does this infusion need to be refrigerated when done, or is it okay kept at room temperature?
Toni Dash says
Your comment Susan is a tap on the shoulder to add some suggestions to the post. I thought about that beforehand and now I will. However while I have you captive, you could make something as simple as a Apple Vodka Tonic with 1-1 1/2 ounces of the vodka in a tall glass with ice and fill with tonic water; or you could substitute it in a Hot Toddy recipe too. The recipe on Boulder Locavore uses Scotch whisky which is traditional but I would still use it for that too. Lots of other ideas too. Swapping a flavored vodka into recipes with vodka can really change them up.
Chris Scheuer says
Such a creative idea Toni and I love the pretty bottles! Pinning!
Happy Valley Chow says
Yummy! Is it bad that I want to drink that whole bottle? Great recipe, thanks for sharing 🙂
Toni Dash says
Hey no judgement from me Eric!
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
Yup, I will definitely be making this when I host Thanksgiving in a few weeks! Yum!!
Debra says
They would be great to give as holiday gifts – especially when you get invited to a party. They’d be perfect to have in a party setting.
Donna says
This is such a creative idea. I think it would make a fabulous gift for some friends.
Valerie says
I like your personal touch with the tags. This is such a fun gift idea!
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
That sounds absolutely fantastic! I’ve never had any sort of spiced vodka before.
Catherine S says
This sounds really good. I don’t drink vodka very often, but I would drink this.
Kelly Hutchinson says
What a great gift to give your friends who imbibe. My daughter would just love this.
Liz Mays says
Oh this is such a cool idea. I would love to try it out! I love the tags with those bottles!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
yummy 🙂 That would certainly warm my spirits! Sharing and pinning!
Pam says
I bet you could make some yummy fall cocktails with this! I had no idea it was so easy to make your own flavored vodka.
Joyce Brewer (@MommyTalkShow) says
You make infused vodka making look simple. A few years ago, my husband found Absolut New Orleans with a peppered cherry flavor. It’s discontinued, but maybe we can make our own by by putting a spin on your recipe.
Theresa says
I love your idea of reinventing vintage recipes. I have an old cookbook from my grandmother that I should do this with! The vodka is really pretty and I bet it tastes great!
Sabrina says
What an awesome holiday gift and perfect for making the signature holiday cocktail!
Chasing Joy says
Vodka is my preferred liquor. So this is drink is right up my alley.
Onica{MommyFactor} says
I’m curious now what it taste like, I love the apple flavored when it comes in drinks. I’m sure I would love it.
Kristi says
This would make a great holiday or hostess gift. I love to get and give homemade things. I wonder how this would work with crab apples or if it has to be larger apples? We have three crab apple trees in our yard, this year we made jelly and it is a really pretty light red color.
Toni Dash says
My only experience with crab apples was that they were very, very tart; unpleasantly so. Are yours sweet? I just don’t know much about them. I think you need some sweetness from the apple to give this good flavor. A little tartness is good but not overwhelmingly so.
Christie says
I love homemade gifts! This looks delicious and adorable for a gift basket this season!
Anjanette Young says
Oh I really want to try this infused vodka recipe. I’m not a big drinker but when I do I want it to taste as good as this looks. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Tania says
OMG! These are adorable and I love the printed labels. I’m printing the recipe as we speak! Thanks so much for sharing!! 🙂
Diana Elizabeth says
This so so pretty – I’d be tempted to leave some fruit in the jar if it would only fit! Thanks for sharing this – it’s definitely a gift that would be well received!
Crystal says
I love the idea of vintage recipes. I inherited a bunch of my husband’s grandmother’s cookbooks. Got to explore more of them!
Kiwi says
I would love to make this signature drink for a holiday shindig! Love your presentation for this and I bet this taste fall and festive!
Amber C. says
That sure looks beautiful! I don’t drink but I will share this with my friends that do!
Cinny says
That looks absolutely delicious. I always wanted to try and infuse drinks, I didn’t know how long to keep it there for though.
Raijean Sr says
You had me at Vodka! I gotta try this, I need a holiday drink.
CMoody says
Is black cardamom pods okay to use? Having trouble finding green cardamom pods.
Toni Dash says
I have only used green cardamom and after reading this article I’d be tempted to stick with green unless you do a small test batch with black (especially if you plan to gift it). I did a quick search and found several green cardamom options on Amazon.com (here) and with Prime shipping you could have them in the blink of an eye!