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Infusing Vodka

Loki1000R said:
brita??? :teeth
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That will work fine. Remember, the only real difference between the mid shelf more expensive vodka and rotgut vodka is how many times it has been activated charcoal filtered. Run the cheap crap through a Brita pitcher 4-6 times and you have yourself some Grey Goose all of a sudden. Always a good idea to clean it up a few times before you infuse it and don't forget you'll want to have some cheese cloth handy to filter out particulate once you have infused the vodka, before you bottle it for chilling. Vanilla, Peach and Pear are some classic options and I've always wanted to try a coffee bean infusion.
 
SteelerFanatic said:
I don't get it. Do you eat the pineapple? Or drink the vodka and it tastes like pineapple?
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It is a perfect example of the osmosis principle. The vodka takes on all the flavors of the pineapple and the pineapple takes on the flavor of the vodka.

Reli said:
You used THAT much pineapple? Seems like using that much would make it way too sweet, especially since pineapple already has juice seeping out of it.

I'm interested in trying celery leaf.
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I did not find it to be too sweet at all. It is still vodka after all. It just has a nice tinge of flavor from the fruit used. Try it and you will be amazed.

I really like mine with some Tonic Water, it is amazing. :thumbup
 
If you are an outdoor grower, put your male plants in a bottle of vodka. Could use female I suppose but that would be a waste.
After a month or so make a lemony little concoction similar to a Kamikaze that I like to call a Ganjakaze.
Be prepared for people at your parties to inexplicably fall down.
 
Eldritch said:
LOL, it's like fermented borscht!
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yup- 2.5 oz. beet vodka, a dribble of sweet vermouth, stir over ice, strain, garnish with a couple of radish slices and bam, borscht martini. damn tasty.

don't bother trying sour cream on it, trust me. cabbage also makes a shitty garnish.
 
also, i find it's best to just use a decent vodka instead of charcoal filtering. it's easier to just use new amsterdam or svedka, both of which are under 20 bucks a handle, both super clean alcohol...uv is pretty clean too and cheap.
 
Inspirational thread. I can usually get pineapples on sale from Walnut Creek produce near my job. I'm gonna do this one.

Speaking of booze, I got this text from my son the bartender in New Orleans last night:
"Dad,
I am at the Jameson Bartenders' Ball. Hundreds of bartenders and bottomless Jameson. Pray for me."
 
Eldritch said:
Remember, the only real difference between the mid shelf more expensive vodka and rotgut vodka is how many times it has been activated charcoal filtered
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absolutely 100% not true

shitty vodka taste shitty because the distiller tries to stretch out the heart by adding more head and tail.

Vodka should be primarily ethanol (the heart) but in the distillation process methanol (the head) and oils (the tail) are created as well. When the stream begins, a distiller collects it in a bucket. He should be fairly consistently checking the streams texture (methanol (the head) tends to feel colder then it is and feels dry). Once it begins to feel room temperature and wet, he changes buckets and begins drawing off ethanol (ie the heart, pure vodka)... he then keeps checking the feel and once it begins to feel slippery he is drawing off oils and flavors (the tail, imparts bad flavor)

Vodka is distilled to 160 proof and then watered down to 80. Vodka should be pure ethanol, which is virtually flavor less and "lacks" the alcohol taste. When you "taste" vodka you are tasting the methanol and the oils. Can you filter this off, for the most part you can filter a lot of it off... but don't think because it's been filtered 100 times it's better then a good vodka that's been filtered once. A GOOD vodka should only be filtered to remove visible impurities. A shitty distiller will try and capture as much ethanol as possible during the distillation process, inevitably capturing excess methanol and oils and thus requiring filtration. A great distiller will try and capture the least amount of methanol and oils, allowing for virtually pure ethanol.

/rant /science
 
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Yakoo752 said:
absolutely 100% not true
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we need to chat about "purification" i'm going to be getting a "water purifier" soon.

i've been doing a lot of research reading of the past week and my understanding is that the cheaper vodkas and grain alcohols are generally run through a column plate still at full speed once. while The reflux plates are more efficient at distilling then pot stills, at full speed you get a lot of fusel oils and harsh alcohols that lend to a very hot drink.
The top-notch artisan stuff goes through multiple runs at lower speeds with closer attention paid to separating out the spirit run from the heads and tails.

I am not an expert nor even enthusiast as I prefer Brown spirits but I've heard that Grey goose is deceptively mediocre by those that enjoy vodkas.
 
Yakoo752 said:
absolutely 100% not true

shitty vodka taste shitty because the distiller tries to stretch out the heart by adding more head and tail.

Vodka should be primarily ethanol (the heart) but in the distillation process methanol (the head) and oils (the tail) are created as well. When the stream begins, a distiller collects it in a bucket. He should be fairly consistently checking the streams texture (methanol (the head) tends to feel colder then it is and feels dry). Once it begins to feel room temperature and wet, he changes buckets and begins drawing off ethanol (ie the heart, pure vodka)... he then keeps checking the feel and once it begins to feel slippery he is drawing off oils and flavors (the tail, imparts bad flavor)

Vodka is distilled to 160 proof and then watered down to 80. Vodka should be pure ethanol, which is virtually flavor less and "lacks" the alcohol taste. When you "taste" vodka you are tasting the methanol and the oils. Can you filter this off, for the most part you can filter a lot of it off... but don't think because it's been filtered 100 times it's better then a good vodka that's been filtered once. A GOOD vodka should only be filtered to remove visible impurities. A shitty distiller will try and capture as much ethanol as possible during the distillation process, inevitably capturing excess methanol and oils and thus requiring filtration. A great distiller will try and capture the least amount of methanol and oils, allowing for virtually pure ethanol.

/rant /science
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I was in before the edit

:laughing
 
You can make the Vokad taste better by re-distilling it yourself, but it's easier to just buy higher quality to begin with.
 
carries an axe said:
we need to chat about "purification" i'm going to be getting a "water purifier" soon.

i've been doing a lot of research reading of the past week and my understanding is that the cheaper vodkas and grain alcohols are generally run through a column plate still at full speed once. while The reflux plates are more efficient at distilling then pot stills, at full speed you get a lot of fusel oils and harsh alcohols that lend to a very hot drink.
The top-notch artisan stuff goes through multiple runs at lower speeds with closer attention paid to separating out the spirit run from the heads and tails.

I am not an expert nor even enthusiast as I prefer Brown spirits but I've heard that Grey goose is deceptively mediocre by those that enjoy vodkas.
Click to expand...

I've detailed my post a little better - honestly, the best place to get distillation information at in the bay area is st. georges spirits in alameda :thumbup and then you get to sample a whole bunch of stuff :laughing

and yes, Grey Goose is 100% marketed mid grade vodka sold at "top" prices - now, if you get in to drinking vodkas, try and pay attention to what it's made out of as different mashes make for different flavors. I had a potato and wild flower vodka the other month that was so sweet to the tongue but had the nice vodka feel - so good
 
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