Infusing fruit with alcohol is a delicious way to preserve the flavors of the season, as well as experiment with new flavor combinations. In this recipe, we’ll make a blueberry infused vodka, but there are countless options for fruit-flavored libations.
For the most part, all you need to infuse your own fruity flavored liquors are fresh fruit, alcohol of choice and a couple weeks (or months) of time for it to infuse. I prefer to use a mid-level, mid-priced alcohol for infusing with.
When making infused alcohol flavors, such as the following recipe for blueberry infused vodka, I generally stick to a rule of 1 cup of fruit for every 2 cups of alcohol.
Yield: 1 pint
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 2 cups vodka of choice (as needed)
Preparation
Wash and strain blueberries, and discard any bruised or flawed berries. Add blueberries to a clean pint jar.
Pour vodka over berries until the jar is filled. Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean towel. Then add the canning lid and tightly screw on the ring.
Keep your blueberry infusing vodka at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. We store ours in the cupboard with the rest of our liquor. As it infuses, the fruit will lose color or become pale. The alcohol will become colorful.
Allow the fruit to infuse with the alcohol for at least two weeks. The longer it infuses, the more flavor it will have.
Once infused, you can either leave the fruit in the alcohol, or strain it out. Your choice.
If you don’t want any bit of fruit in the infusion, you can strain it through cheesecloth or a coffee filter to get a cleaner end-product. Feel free to store the infused liquor in the refrigerator if you prefer a chilled spirit.
Read more: When should you prune your blueberries?
Side Notes
Don’t like vodka? No problem! Try this method of infusing alcohol with white rum, brandy or gin. They are all great infused with blueberries.
You can use frozen fruit to make infused alcohol, but fresh or dehydrated is preferred.
This recipe was adapted from WECK Small-Batch Preserving with permission from Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
