Coffee Infused Vodka
There
are a great many site out there which go into detail on flavor infused
vodkas, but some of their recipes fall flat and some of them are just
too vague. Here is a tried, true and Tasty method of creating Coffee
Infused Vodka. See the end of the article for some common drinks which
can be suitably caffeinated, and made that much better by the coupling
of coffee and alcohol. At any point in this tutorial feel free to
consult the picture for more a better idea of how things work.
Ingredients:
- Vodka,
- go middle of the road on this one, not cheap but not top shelf either.
- More vodka for a larger container, not sure i had to say this but it never hurts
- Dark Roasted Coffee Beans
- 1 Tsp Sugar
- Clear, clean glass jar
- Funnel
- 2 spoons
- 1 Cone filter
Dark
Roasted beans tend to have a stronger flavor profile and translate well
into an infusion, as more of the coffee taste transfers, and a deeper
color is attained. The sugar is a catalyst for the infusion helping the
oils and flavors of the coffee beans to mix with the vodka.
Bean Preparation:
When
preparing this infusion i was worries that grounds might lead to an
overabundance of oil, while whole beans might take too long to infuse.
So i compromised. i placed whole dark roasted coffee beans into one
tablespoon and placed a teaspoon over top. Applying pressure gentle,
and wary of beans shooting out the sides, I compressed until i heard
the beans crack. You need to do this about 10 – 15 beans at a time or
they will end up absolutely everywhere.
Jar Preparation:
After you have a small handful of bean place them into the glass
container with a teaspoon of sugar. The jar I used held approximately
.5 liters of vodka, so your mileage may vary. Fill the jar as far up as
you can without overflowing the container, leave as little air in the
container as possible. The beans will float to the top of the container
as you pour the vodka in. This is normal, even to see small air bubbles
collect on the sides of the beans.
At
this point the sealed jar may look like dish water. Fasten the lid very
tightly and shake vigorously for roughly 30 seconds. Place the
concoction into a safe, dark, cool location. Your freezer may seem
ideal but you could have some trouble getting the lid off later on.
Vodka will not freeze in a normal home freezer.
Waiting is the Hardest Part:
Most
sources differ on the amount of time to let the ingredients infuse, I
would say to go no sooner than 5 days for the best effect. I admit that
i commonly open the jar before then just to smell the brew, a wonderful
aroma. Now the trick that I use to speed the process along so that the
infusion is ready after five days is that everyday i take the jar out
of the freezer, or cupboard and shake the mixture vigorously. The few
times i have not done this the color and flavor take much longer to
develop.
Filter:
Now
that your brew is ready for the final step this is the easiest way i
have found to filter the particles out of the infusion with as little
lost liquid as possible. Place a funnel into a secondary container and
a cone filter into the funnel. For the purpose of this illustration i
used a product called the Ready Set Joe. Slowly pour the unfiltered
Vodka Coffee into the funnel, minding the beans as they tend to splash
the liquid when the jump. After the liquid has been poured you can
rinse out and clean the old container to either start anew or to
redeposit the new infusion back into. I placed a couple whole coffee
beans into the final mix for a garnish.
Conclusion:
If
everything has gone to plan up until this point you should be left with
a clear aromatic taste sensation. If you find that your brew is not as
strong nor as darkly colored as the one illustrated in the picture then
you can always add more cracked beans to the filtered solution and wait
another couple of days to re filter or you could simply wait longer to
pull the beans out. Typically the beans will sink to the bottom of the
jar as they become laden with liquid, this is a sign that things are
going the right way. This vodka alone is a very smooth and tasty drink
but read on to see more ideas for how to use it.
As always respect the local drinking age in your area before
attempting this. Do not try to use you parents good vodka on this
experiment, they results could scar you.
Drinks to Exploit:
Here
are two Vodka Based drinks and their associated recipes which I believe
to have been greatly improved by the addition of caffeinated vodka. I
have messed with the recipes a bit to enhance their flavour
Late night Russian Cocktail
- 3/4 oz White Creme de Cacao
- 3/4 oz Gin
- 3/4 oz Vodka (Caffeinated)
- Ice
My Own Recipe below
Muggers Delight (Hot Coco with a kick)
- 1 oz Vodka Caffeinated
- 1 oz Chocolate Liqueur
- 3 oz Milk or Light Cream (Heated or steamed is better)
- Sprinkle of Cinnamon & Cloves