Fresh strawberry spirits

That's strawberries infusing in vodka, en route to becoming strawberry spirits like those I sampled recently at a farm dinner at Osteria Via Stato. They tasted exquisitely of fresh strawberries, with none of that artificial or medicinal quality homemade liqueurs often have.

Chef David DiGregorio gave me approximate directions: Steep 1 pint of strawberries in 1 1/2 cups vodka for 24 hours, strain and add sugar to taste.

Here's what I did:

Strawberry spirits

4 pounds ripe strawberries, hulled and cut up
1-1/2 liters vodka
2 cups simple syrup (2 cups sugar boiled in 2 cups water) or to taste

Mash the strawberries a bit and combine with the vodka in a large jar and let steep 24 to 48 hours. (I meant to strain after 24 but the great ham hunt interfered.)

Strain out and discard the strawberries, pressing to get all the liquid. Strain the liquid through cheesecloth or a very fine sieve. Add the simple syrup. Serve chilled. Makes about 2 liters.

Dead easy and delicious.



OVS also makes its own lemoncello, a light and refreshing version, and an intense chocolate-cello that I thought would be best poured over ice cream.

I also tasted a watermelon-black pepper-fennel "gastrotail" that was too sweet for me, and some excellent sweet vermouth made by Adam Segar, who oversees the cocktail program there as well as at Nacional 27 and Reel Club.

He mentioned that at N27 they press cranberries for the Cosmos. I don't drink Cosmos, but I'm grateful to whoever invented them. The Cosmo is the drink that made cocktails "cool" again, leading the way for the resurgence of cocktail culture we're presently enjoying.

I may decry the co-option of the word "martini" for sickly sweet concoctions designed for 20-somethings who think drinking from a V-shaped stemmed glass is sophisticated, but don't really like the taste of alcohol, yet there's no doubt in my mind that without that trend, few of the contemporary bars serving house-made bitters, fresh-pressed juices and the like would exist.

Hi,

I tried some of this strawberry spirits last night. They were quite good.

Did you eat the fruit after you drained the alcohol from?

Thanks, again!

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:I tried some of this strawberry spirits last night. They were quite good.

Did you eat the fruit after you drained the alcohol from?

Thanks!

I sampled one. It was nasty. All the flavor (and nearly all the color) had gone into the spirits and the fruit just tasted like bad vodka, with a mushy texture.

Most of the liqueur recipes I've made before call for very long steeping and aging -- weeks or months -- so this one that's ready in 24 hours seems very quick. It also kept the fresh flavor of the fruit better than other recipes I've tried.

I'm now wondering if this would work with other fruit -- say blueberries. And I expect I'll try to keep some of it around to see how well it ages. My guess is not too well.

LAZ wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:I tried some of this strawberry spirits last night. They were quite good.

Did you eat the fruit after you drained the alcohol from?

Thanks!

I sampled one. It was nasty. All the flavor (and nearly all the color) had gone into the spirits and the fruit just tasted like bad vodka, with a mushy texture.

Most of the liqueur recipes I've made before call for very long steeping and aging -- weeks or months -- so this one that's ready in 24 hours seems very quick. It also kept the fresh flavor of the fruit better than other recipes I've tried.

I'm now wondering if this would work with other fruit -- say blueberries. And I expect I'll try to keep some of it around to see how well it ages. My guess is not too well.

It depends on the cellulose structure of the fruit, though try it with blueberries- you may be surprised.

jpschust wrote:

LAZ wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:I tried some of this strawberry spirits last night. They were quite good.

Did you eat the fruit after you drained the alcohol from?

Thanks!

I sampled one. It was nasty. All the flavor (and nearly all the color) had gone into the spirits and the fruit just tasted like bad vodka, with a mushy texture.

Most of the liqueur recipes I've made before call for very long steeping and aging -- weeks or months -- so this one that's ready in 24 hours seems very quick. It also kept the fresh flavor of the fruit better than other recipes I've tried.

I'm now wondering if this would work with other fruit -- say blueberries. And I expect I'll try to keep some of it around to see how well it ages. My guess is not too well.

It depends on the cellulose structure of the fruit, though try it with blueberries- you may be surprised.

LAZ's strawberry beverage was excellent, though I was suprised to hear that the fruit was transformed into something unappetizing. I used chapulin's very similar receipe for cherry liqueur, and the cherries were quite tasty on ice cream or alone -- and the liquor was killer. Perhaps it is due to the cellulose structure (which I don't really understand), but cherries definitely respond to this preparation differently than strawberries.

Hey, I just "bottled" some strawberry liquor as well. Infusions are a great way to use up odds and ends of fruit laying around. A few months ago, I met the master mixologist at Otom. His advice was to use grain alcohol instead of vodka. He felt you get a better extraction of flavor and less chance of secondary fermentation.

I have to say that the batch I sampled yesterday was a bit too harsh, and I believe I need to cut down on my infusion period--these went for a week. On the other hand, I flavored the strawberries with a few star anise (my wife's idea) and I think that's a great idea.

Vital Information wrote:Hey, I just "bottled" some strawberry liquor as well. Infusions are a great way to use up odds and ends of fruit laying around. A few months ago, I met the master mixologist at Otom. His advice was to use grain alcohol instead of vodka. He felt you get a better extraction of flavor and less chance of secondary fermentation.

I have to say that the batch I sampled yesterday was a bit too harsh, and I believe I need to cut down on my infusion period--these went for a week. On the other hand, I flavored the strawberries with a few star anise (my wife's idea) and I think that's a great idea.

Simple syrup/sugar is a great cureall for some minor overinfusions.

Vital Information wrote:His advice was to use grain alcohol instead of vodka. He felt you get a better extraction of flavor and less chance of secondary fermentation.

I have to say that the batch I sampled yesterday was a bit too harsh, and I believe I need to cut down on my infusion period--these went for a week.

That's probably the grain alcohol. It's higher proof, so you may need to cut it with something -- vodka or even water.

What I liked most about these strawberry spirits is the fresh-fruit flavor -- and the quick turnaround.

David Hammond wrote:LAZ's strawberry beverage was excellent, though I was suprised to hear that the fruit was transformed into something unappetizing. I used chapulin's very similar receipe for cherry liqueur, and the cherries were quite tasty on ice cream or alone -- and the liquor was killer. Perhaps it is due to the cellulose structure (which I don't really understand), but cherries definitely respond to this preparation differently than strawberries.

If you mean the recipe here, it may be the different denser structure of cherries, but it may have something to do with adding the sugar at the outset, too.

Most of what I've read about vodka and fruit infusions is that the fruit becomes inedible, since it acts as a sponge for the harsher elements in the liquor.

Chicago Sun-Times wrote:"A lot of girls come in and say, 'I want a piece of pineapple!' I have to say, 'No you don't,' '' Bush said. "It just tastes like a vodka sponge at this point. I say, 'I'll give it to you, but it's disgusting.' ''

This common exchange at the Sliver Palm, a River West bar and restaurant, reflects both an ignorance and growing interest in what Bush says is the next phase in Chicago's alcohol appetite -- the homemade infused alcohol.

Infusing liquor is a process that involves taking a large container, filling it with pieces of fruit and alcohol and letting it sit for at least a week. The vodka takes on the flavor of the fruit, which only becomes usable for soon-to-be sour-faced, overly curious customers.

Cincinnati Enquirer wrote:Of course, some trends don't work for everyone. Peter Laffoon, owner of Hamburger Mary's, downtown, began infusing vodka with raspberries and strawberries five months ago. But he stopped when he realized how much vodka he lost when he threw away the soused fruit.

"It was fun for a while," Laffoon says. "And it is good. Who knows, we might do it again."

http://www.infusionsofgrandeur.net