To hear it from the infusion pros around town, the technique is straightforward. Alcohol products have been infused for hundreds of years, that we know about. The LCBO has shelves lined with flavoured stuff, Absolut being the king of infused vodkas, but this isn’t quite the same as producing your own infused products. Also there are a few infusions (needed, for example for a few martini recipes on this site) that aren’t on any shelves that I know of.

Vodka is the most popular among the liquor family infused, mainly because of its generic flavour. The specific taste in other liquor products make the process risky.

The Process:
Take your choice of vodka, the brand that you would normally make a Martini with, use only fresh ingredients; real fruit, herbs, etc. Not frozen, or packaged. Use clean containers and instruments. Start out with a small portion, so you don’t make such a costly risk. If the end product is too strong, just dilute it with some uninfused vodka.

The following process is for batches of 16oz. at a time: Put flavors in a clean container; pour vodka. Close the lid tightly and shake 3-5 times. Place the container in a cool, dark room for 24 hrs.* Check for flavor and let sit for another 24 hrs. shaking the mixture several times a day during infusion. When the vodka has reached the desired flavor intensity, strain through a paper coffee filter into a clean bottle, seal it and refrigerate indefinitely.

* Fruit infusion takes at least 1 week for the various flavor intensities to develop. Here’s a few ideas, but let your taste buds rule, throw caution to the wind, and happy Martini-ing

Mint
A sprig or two of Mint, stem and all.

Fruit
2 cups of fresh chopped strawberries, raspberries, pineapple, peaches or dried apricots

Herbed
1/2 cup fresh herbs, like basil, oregano. dill, thyme or tarragon. Leave the herbs attached to their stems

Vanilla
2 fresh vanilla beans (or as desired), split lengthwise into halves.

Coconut
1 cup unsweetened dried coconut, found in any health food store.

Citrus
large strips of lemon, orange, grapefruit or lime rind. The various sizes of each fruit will determine how much of the fruits zest you will use. Note: use only the colored part of the rind.