Infuse This!

I just did something that many people would find odd.

I took a half dozen ripe pears, cut blemishes off the skin, cored them, cut them into eighths, and put them into a large, sealable, glass jar. I then added two split (lengthwise) vanilla beans, and poured 1.5 L of nigori sake into the jar. Then I put the jar in the fridge.

Of course, this won't seem odd if you recognize this process as infusion.

Tommorow night, I'll take the jar out of the fridge, discard the fruit and vanilla beans, and filter the liquid through a sieve at least 3 or 4 times (to remove flecks of vanilla and excess pear pulp). The result? Pear and vanilla infused sake, which is an absolutely delicious infusion of my devising, inspired by Chambar's cocktail, Tin-Tin and the Easter Pear (sadly, no longer on their menu--but replaced by another excellent sake drink featuring cinnamon and passionfruit nectar).

Infusing spirits is a suprisingly easy--and fun--way to flavor your drinks (to say nothing of impressive). While I hadn't expected it, the two most popular drinks at my last party, the French Pearl and the Bloody Susan, were both cocktails I'd created based on my infusion experiments last summer (one is the sake infusion described above, the other is Strawberry and cherry infused brandy). Our dear friend Kate even treated me to the exclamation, "Oh my god, this is the best drink I've ever had!" when she tried one (I can't remember which); followed by, half an hour later, "I take it back! This is the best drink I've ever had!" when she tried the other.

So, what do you need to know about infusions, if you had an hankering to try one?

First, the usual spirit to infuse is, naturally, vodka. It serves as a veritable blank canvas upon which any flavor you desire may be painted. I have, myself, refrained from vodka infusions (though I will start soon) because I've enjoyed trying to complement the natural flavors of other spirits. But if you really just want the flavor of whatever it is you're infusing with, go with vodka.
Next, you'll need a sterilized (or, at least, thoroughly rinsed with boiled water) glass jar of some kind. This needs to be at least 1 L (just shy of 34 oz; so you can fit a bottle of liquor plus the infusion ingredients), and have an airtight lid. Ideally, it would have a rubber ring (to make it airtight) on a glass or metal lid--paper on the lid may dissolve somewhat (and 'shed' into the drink) and direct contact with a metal lid will flavor the infusion adversely.

Make sure your fruits, spices, teas, or whatever you're infusing with are fresh, and free of blemishes. Anything bitter or bad-tasting (such as a bruise or the white pith of a citrus fruit) will transfer its flavor to the alcohol, so you're best to avoid it.

Cut up or otherwise manipulate your ingredients to maximize their surface area, so they transfer more of their flavor to the spirit. Dropping a whole apple into a litre of vodka isn't going to do you much good.

Combine all the ingredients in the jar, and store your infusion in a cool, dark place. I use the fridge.

As for how long to infuse for, that depends on both your tastes, and what you're infusing. Most liquors (anything 40 proof or more) should be infused for anywhere from several days to two weeks. Two weeks is about the maximum, but you should taste your infusion-in-progress from time to time, and feel free to be done with it as soon as you're happy with how it tastes. With liquor infusions you don't really need to worry about the fruit (or whatever) going bad, as the alcohol will preserve it. If you're infusing sake (or anything under about 40 proof), you don't want to let it go much over two days, as the ingredients will start to ferment. Again, the final judge of how long to let it go is how it tastes at any given time, so don't be afraid to try it out.

Finally, you'll want to filter the final result. Fruit and other ingredients will leave some residue that you don't actually want to drink, so use a sieve, or something similar, to filter it (generally back into the bottle the liquor for your infusion came in). I use a funnel and mesh filter intended for decanting wine (you can get them at, for example, Zabar's for under $10).

In my humble opinion (as if you couldn't guess from the rest of this blog), your infusion will be best enjoyed in a cocktail of some kind. So unless you're adding a new flavor to an already beloved cocktail (or straight liquor!), go ahead and try out your new infusion with other ingredients to make something truly original. I promise there are lots of amazing drinks out there that have never been tried... (but do look for an upcoming post on the vagaries of experimental mixology...).

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Pear and Vanilla Infused Sake

1 bottle (750 mL) nigori (unfiltered) sake
3 pears, cut into eighths
1 vanilla been, split lengthwise
Infuse for approximately 30 hours


Strawberry and Cherry Infused Brandy

1 bottle (750 mL) Brandy
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup cherries, quartered and pitted (if cherries are out of season, you can substite another cup of strawberries)
2 cracked whole nutmegs
Infuse for 5-6 days

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French Pearl

A delightfully smooth cocktail, with subtle flavors of pear, vanilla, and blackcurrant.

Shake the following over ice, and serve in a cocktail glass
3 oz. vanilla and pear infused sake
1/2 oz. creme de cassis


Bloody Susan

The first question anyone asks when I tell about this drink is, "who's Susan?" Although not named after anyone in particular, this cocktail bears a considerable resemblance to sangria--though it packs a bit more punch.

Shake the following over ice, and serve in a cocktail glass:
1 1/2 oz. strawberry and cherry infused brandy
1/4 oz. lime juice
1/4 oz. lemon juice
1/4 oz. grenadine
3/4 oz. red wine (I use a cheap shiraz)

Optional garnish:
1 or 2 cherries in syrup