Flavoured Vodka

[Janne]

this is a traditional way in the ’Vodka / Brännvin Belt’ to make your home made alcohol more palatable, and also create herbal medicines.

In the past, the most common way was to take Alcohol, 50% and up ( depending your skills with the still) and make a very strong concentrate with the selected herb.
Traditionally about a liter was made of each herb, and let to mature for months or years, until you finished the previous batch.
People had several concentrated. The common ones were;
Black Pepper
Wormwood
Juniper berries
St Johns Wort
Elder / elderberry
Pine shoots
Vanilla

The way you enjoyed it was to fill your drinking glass with unflavoured vodka, then mixing it with drops of the concrate to your liking.

My personal favourite was Wormwood.

 

[Woody girl]

Elderberry and pine sound good. So many ideas. No wonder I'm not sleeping properly! Fatal mix. Ideas and arthritis. Not conducive to sleep resulting in a grumpy old personage!

 

[Janne]

The Poles/Russians use honey.
Plus a grass, Hierochloe, which they call Bison grass.

In Sweden we give grass to animals.

But it tastes nice, I have drunk many a liter in the old days before the Iron border fell. The Poles took day trips to Sweden, they sold Vodka cheaply and took hem broken fridges and broken tv’s.
Us empoverished students the vodka.

 

[Robson Valley]

I have a zesting tool which curls off just the outer oily skin layer of an orange.
1/2tsp of that stuff in vodka over ice is tasty.

 

[Sundowner]

I made bramble vodka September last year, 3.75 l to be precise. Got exactly 1l left

 

[Woody girl]

Warning... .... making flavoured vodkas can be addictive! It's a lot of fun tasting the results.

 

[Robson Valley]

Exactly so. I prefer to use the orange zest in dry vermouth over ice.
What I've found is that every different variety of orange alters the taste
from bitter to sickly sweet. Navel is #1 to me. So is the rest of the orange to eat.
Then CaraCara, then mini Mandarins, then the thin-skinned ones are bitter and big Mandarins are terrible sweet.
Even in the city, Sevilles are rare to find.

 

[Janne]

Cara cara is a wonderful orange. My favourite.
Has a hint of grapefruit in the taste.

I have never thought of using Citrus to flavour vodka like you describe.
Will try.

Note, if you use a strong flavour, you can buy the cheapest vodka you can find. The brand the guy in the gutter drinks.

 

[Robson Valley]

Booth Ranch Navels are the best oranges that I have ever eaten in my life and I am really fussy.
Caracara, if I have to. mini Mandarins are sweet-bombs. I burst the wedges and toss a few into my glass.

I've run across dry vermouth over ice with a slice of lemon. It's OK.
In vodka, might be pretty good. I don't know much about lemon varieties at all.

 

[MartinK9]

Look on here for Skittle Vodka.

Very nice.

 

[Woody girl]

Mars bar vodka? I've tasted some that somebody else made its lovely. Always meant to make some... but ate all the Mars bars before I got round to it.... twice!.... Still got the bottle of vodka though . Yes use the cheapest you can find. It realy doesn't have to be a great vodka to make a great drink.

 

[Woody girl]

Skittle vodka.. because it knocks you over??

 

[Janne]

Many a lady have been knocked up due to the effects of vodka.....

 

[Janne]

Not sure about skittles, marsbars and such....
Makes a liqueur, no?

I have tasted cocoa bean infused vodka - ok
Same with coffee bean.

But, an Espresso Martini, easy on the ice, that is my faw after restaurant dinner drink.

 

[Robson Valley]

We get chocolate rye and pumpkin spice rye whiskeys at Christmas. Remarkable over ice. One is plenty.
Vodka is away down my list with crap like Campari and Ouzo.

 

[bob_the_baker]

I always make a horseradish vodka (Khrenovukha) it's very warming on a winter's night. I also actively avoid Dean the Spoon's Chilli vodka which is beyond warming and is genuinely tear inducing.
In a jar at the moment I also have some Chagga vodka, as yet untasted

 

[Janne]

Chaga vidka sounds positively revolting!
I need to get some and make it.

If you make Black Pepper Vodka the proper way, you do not need to shave for a week.....

 

[Janne]

I made some Scotch Bonnet essence from my own fruit a couple of years ago. Is still maturing.

 

[Clanchief]

I’ve made quite a bit of Gin, Whisky and Vodka brews over the years, Damson seems the best over Sloes.

Damson whisky made with Black Bottle is pretty nice and the same for the Damson Vodka, I never made any this year as I have a glut left over, you get bags of Damsons from the trees down the farm, folk always want some but they never have anything to trade with, damn freeloaders.

 

[Woody girl]

I've just made some lemoncello this week. This is one that I make and will drink over ice in the summer months. Clan chief I use my home made vodka specials as payment for jobs I need doing that I need help with or can't do myself. I'm sure you are a capable sort of chap and don't need a lot of help with things but I often swop for other things as well. Eggs, honey, and quinces for instance. Maybe it's an idea to get something that somebody else produces that you don't have. I also swop home made jams and marmalades. A kind of local economy trading system.