Ingredient Wed Aug 27 2008

Fruit-infused vodkas

I turned to vodka to get me out of a jam.

It's just that I had a lot of fruit. And a guy can only make so many preserves.

Infusing vodka with fruit is dead simple, requires no special equipment, takes very little active preparation time and produces fantastic results with a wide range of fruit.

In the last week, I have made four infused vodkas: blackberry, muskmelon, blueberry and raspberry.

For berry vodkas, wash the berries, dry them thoroughly, fill a bottle with them and pour vodka in up to the top. For melons, cube the melon first and proceed as with berries. In either case, let the mixture sit for about three days in a dark place.

At this point, you'll want to taste it to see how it's progressing. My blackberry and melon vodkas were ready, but the blueberry vodka required more time. Keep checking back every day or so. When it's ready, strain off the liquid and refrigerate it.

If you're only going to do one, I recommend blackberry. Actually, if you're only going to do one, I recommend reconsidering. And then I recommend blackberry and muskmelon.

- Daniel Shumski