As college students, we'd be remiss if we didn't start randomly soaking everything in alcohol. Or is that just me?
Presumably, it isn't. Infusion is becoming a big thing in drinking culture. Bars in Manhattan have an increasing number of unmarked liquor bottles containing unidentified stuff floating around. One bar proudly advertises bacon-infused whiskey; another touts fresh, never-before-tasted anchovy vodka. I'll let that one sink in for a moment.
The frenzy of infusion inspired me to join the party. I'm not a fan of stinky fish, so I passed by the temptation to recreate that particular liqueur. Similarly, bacon infused whiskey seems like a waste of bacon and whiskey, which the more astute reader will recognize as two of the original deadly sins. The solution? Blueberry vodka.
With this in mind, I journeyed to the liquor store and selected a bottle of Smirnoff. When choosing a liquor to infuse, the quality of the liquor is actually very important. Those familiar with Odesse vodka are well aware that, should you tire of drinking it, you could use it to fuel your car. It's the smell and general harshness that makes well liquor unsuitable for infusion use. Smirnoff is actually on the lower end of what I'd prefer to use, but I'm on a budget.
Next, the blueberries. I went with dehydrated blueberries, as fresh ones seem like they'd have too much water and canned berries are, in a word, mushy. Mushiness is not desirable in your infusions.
I proceeded to mix the blueberries and vodka together in the Smirnoff bottle. Now I have a bottle of purple liquor containing berries. It's rather fetching. The next step of the process is the most important, however: restraint. Don't drink your infusion for at least two weeks. Time allows the oils and goodness of whatever you're infusing to slowly leak into the liquor.
My plan for the blueberry vodka is to stick it in the freezer. Somehow that seems like the best way to serve it. In fact, "seems like" is pretty much the byword of liquor infusing: it's a brave new world, uncharted and unknown! Meaning, unfortunately, that you will waste liquor. But hopefully you'll also make something delicious. Happy drinking.