Party Idea: Infused Vodkas

I’ve got an awesome party trick for you. Something that can earn you a ton of cred, but actually requires very little effort.

Ready?

Infused vodkas are super easy to make, super easy to dress up, and, of course, very impressive at classy potlucks and slightly dressed-up gatherings.

Here’s how to do it—in two basic steps:

Throw some fresh herbs into some vodka. A small amount of herb is all that is needed for a full bottle of vodka; think one orange peel, two sprigs of rosemary, etc. My favorite herbal infusion is rosemary, but orange peel, lemongrass, cinnamon, cumin, jalapeño, kefir lime leaves, and ginger are all great options. It may be helpful to score your herb to allow for the plant constituents to escape into the alcohol more easily (notice the scoring on the lemongrass pictured here).

Let the herbs steep for 1-7 days. Taste your infusion daily and remove the herbs when you like the intensity of the flavor. This infused vodka will keep indefinitely.

Dress up your infused vodka. Vintage decanters are easily available and inexpensive from second-hand stores, and they have a way of really classing up a simple infusion. For extra visual interest, add another bunch of the original herb to your decanter on the day you plan to use it. Personalized hang tags from evermine.com add a super special touch to any party offering. Seriously, people swoon for this stuff.

I like the idea of extending this to a holiday gift or a simple, make-ahead birthday, graduation, retirement or anniversary gift. Just make a handful of bottles of infused vodkas at the same time, and store them for later. As the festivities draw near, bottle and label the vodka—and voila—no fretting over what to bring to the party.

(Pro tip: be sure to tape the back of the hang tag to the decanter if your infusion is intended to be used at the party. This way, the tag won’t keep falling off.)

Used In This Project:

• Large Oval Hang Tags • I chose the “Joy” style in spice, sage and green tea.

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Lorraine (58 Posts)

Lorraine is a medical student, writer and food lover living in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Sometimes, Lorraine realizes that, for the most part, her family, friends and adored acquaintances are just a bike ride away. This gives her sense of cozy giddiness! Mostly though, she gets psyched about creating and sharing food, particularly the kind of food that is accidentally healthy and delicious. See more of her work at SweetAllium.