by guest writer David Coveney, The Spirit Cellar Online
I have been doing liquor infusions at home for quite some time now, and I love using gin. One of my favourite infusions is rosemary gin: leave 20 sprigs of rosemary in an entire bottle of gin for around 9 hours, depending on the gin. If you use a richer gin like Tanqueray or Beefeater then leave the rosemary too steep for a little longer. If you are using a light gin like Bombay Sapphire or Martin Millers, then 9 hours is enough. Once the rosemary has fully infused, the gin will be a red/brown colour.
Are you a fan of those after-work Cosmopolitans? Why not make your own lemon vodka, instead of buying Ketel One Citroen? Simply peel 10 lemons, making sure you remove all the pith, as this will add too much bitterness. Add the peels them to a bottle of vodka and leave to infuse for 24 hours. Once the 24 hours is up, peel a further 10 lemons in exactly the same way, remove old peel from the vodka and add the fresh lemon peel. This double infusion will create a fresh, zesty vodka after another 24 hours of infusing. Perfect with a dash of simple syrup and soda water and brilliant in your Cosmos:
Cosmopolitan
- 50 ml (1 1/2 oz) lemon vodka
- 20 ml (1/2 oz) Cointreau (or orange liqueur/triple sec)
- 25 ml (3/4 oz) lime juice
- 20 ml (1/2 oz) cranberry juice
- garnish with a lime wheel
If you have a sweeter tooth, mix two thirds of your new lemon vodka to 200ml (about 7 oz) of simple syrup. Mix it well and you have a fantastic, punchy, homemade Limoncello.