October Infusions

Home infusions are a fun project for several reasons:

1. It's a project that combines a little bit of science, a little bit of cooking, and a bunch of drinking.
   
2. When you have several infusions brewing in your freezer, you always have a reason to throw a tasting party.
3. Holiday and season-themed infusions make great party gifts, and when you repackage them into smaller decorative bottles they're also much less expensive than showing up at a party with a full bottle of liquor.
   

I tried some vodka infusions earlier this month for fall and Halloween themes, with mixed success.

I mentioned before on this blog that the candy corn infusion and the whole pumpkin infusions were big losers. And now for the winners:

• Cinnamon-infused vodka. I dropped a cinnamon stick in a glass of vodka and let it sit, covered, in my freezer for six days, and it came out perfect! The flavor is all in the aftertaste, and you can tell if you let it sit and infuse for too long, it would be too sharp a taste on the tongue. It also mixes well. I tried it with ginger ale, orange juice, and in a martini, and found them all to be interesting combinations. I didn't enjoy it when mixed with tonic water though.
  
• Pumpkin Pie Filling-infused vodka. Of course, this sounds disgusting, but it came out fantastic. I took a scoop of pumpkin pie filling from the can and dropped it into a glass of vodka. Six days later it was great. As the filling is liquidy, the vodka takes on a pumpkin hue. I poured the vodka off the top to separate it form the solids, but to get all the filling particles out of the final product you can strain it through cheesecloth. The taste was not just pumpkin, but also all the spices (including cinnamon) that go into it, and somehow it also had a baked pie crust flavor to it as well. This infusion did not mix well with ginger ale, orange juice, tonic, or in a regular martini. It was okay in a martini made with sweet vermouth, but really this tasty vodka is perfect straight. I'm going to make more of it so I'll have some to share at Halloween parties next weekend. Try this one- you won't be disappointed.