Whiskey Infusion: Give it a Shot

Hello, thirsty traveler! If you know me, you know I enjoy some whiskey (whisky, bourbon, and ryes, too). I've had Irish, American, Canadian, Indian, Scottish, Japanese, South African, and more. I drink my dram neat - no ice, room temperature. There is a school of thought, and perhaps some science, that adding an ice cube or a couple drops of water bring out some of the flavors. But, if that was the case, the distiller would just add it to their bottles. I like to experience it the way they made it: straight from the cask.

What happens if you want to mix things up (at first no pun intended. Now, I am intending it) and try something just a little different? Infuse that drink. To date, I've infused at least four different concoctions so far. Large batches, not little mason jars. "Go big or go home" they say. Although I am already at home, so I'm just going to go big.

I use an Alkemista Infusion Vessel by Ethan+Ashe that I received from Bespoke Post. From a subscription box, this glass bottle with a stainless steel filter, bottom, and stopper that is rubber and stainless steel. It is sleek and feels well made. The bottom screws off and the filter pops off. It makes it easier to load up and then clean. The stopper nestles in and doesn't leak. I've turned it upside down while infusing.

Stock Photo

The waiting game is the hardest part. Infusion, especially with larger 16-32 oz batches, takes days or weeks. It depends on how strong you want to make the flavor. The shortest was my cocoa bean infused batch. That was only about 5 or 6 days. My longest being one of the

cinnamon stick and orange peel, which was about 2 weeks. Keeping them in a cool dark place, every day or two I would shake the mixture and give it a little taste. With the cinnamon stick + orange peel, I added more sugar to the second batch.

I did not store the completed infusions in the bottle, although you could. I added my first two blends to empty, rinsed out bottles. The second two batches, I had purchased some 8oz glass bottles. It lets me store the fusions, as well as give them as gifts. Around the holidays, I gifted a few bottles of my cinnamon stick + orange peel blends.

Funny enough, the second of those two batches tasted like Hot Tamales, the candy. Both

batches were good in their own way, but contrastingly different. This also brings me to the last point of creating a recipe. I eyeballed/tasted my way through the batches. I had ideas.

In one batch there were fewer sticks and I kept some orange on the peel. For the second it was reversed, but went with a little more granulated white sugar. The cocoa bean concoction was a little bitter, so halfway through, I added a lot more sugar. And it still is a bit bitter for my liking. Lastly for the apple pie, I ended up adding a bit more honey. After that batch was done, I would probably even add more next time.

I am looking forward to more infusions. I have some of Costco's Kentucky Rye to use as my next base (all the other bases were different brands). I am not going for the same infusions over and over. I am looking for new flavors. because in life you should be willing to try new things. Even if you don't know how you got there!