DIY Cocktail Infusions: How to Elevate Your Drinks at Home

At-home bartenders and mixologist enthusiasts can create innovative flavor combinations by infusing their cocktails. This technique has become more prominent in recent years, allowing barkeeps and home bartenders to craft one-of-a-kind creations. Joe Canal’s offers a large selection of spirits, wines, and beer and here dives deeper into cocktail infusions, explaining what you need to know when trying it at home.

What Are Cocktail Infusions?

In the practice of mixology, infusion means to extract flavors and aromatic compounds from ingredients. The most common ingredients used to create infused cocktails include herbs, fruits, spices, and botanicals. The ingredients are combined with a solvent, typically a spirit like alcohol is much more effective at extracting than water. Over time, the solvent will take on the characteristics of those ingredients. The result is a flavorful drink that encompasses the depth and complexity of the infusing agents.

Supplies

Before you can begin infusing spirits to create flavorful concoctions, you must first acquire the necessary tools. The supplies you will need include:

• Muddler: This bar tool is used to gently crush ingredients to release their flavors.
• Sealable glass jars: Containers like mason jars allow the ingredients to be submerged in the spirit. The jars need to be sealable and airtight to ensure the ingredients meld properly.
• Fine strainer: A strainer is needed post-infusion to separate the infused spirit from the solid ingredients.

Infusing Cocktails At Home

After gathering the necessary supplies, you can begin trying your hand at cocktail infusing. The flavor profiles you can create are endless. Choosing which ingredients to combine with your preferred spirit allows you to craft your ideal taste. Add zest to your spirit by infusing it with orange peels or give your preferred spirit a kick with cinnamon sticks. The ingredient selection process allows you to be creative and try different combinations to create bold new flavors.

Once you’ve selected what ingredients you’d like to use, it’s time to prep them for infusion. To ensure the best-tasting result, ingredients should be fresh and cleaned. Ingredients, like fruits, can be sliced to enhance taste, while others, like herbs, might be muddled.

The duration of infusion will depend on the chosen ingredients and desired taste. It’s important to note that the higher volume of spirit will dilute your flavor profiles. Finding the correct balance may take a few attempts to get right. Periodically taste-testing the infused creation will help you to achieve your desired intensity.

Infused spirits and cocktails should be stored in a cool, dark area. Doing so helps to protect the infused flavors and maintain the quality of the spirit.

Infused Recipes to Try

Infusions open a realm of possibilities to enhance your favorite cocktails. To get started consider trying these creations:

Tropical Rum

Rum and tropical flavors are already a winning combination. Elevate your favorite rum cocktail by infusing the rum with mango, pineapple, or coconut. Slice your preferred fruit and add your favorite rum to a sealable container to craft this creation.

Whiskey Wonders

Known for its caramel and vanilla notes and flavors, whiskey tastes rich, smooth, and full-bodied. Take your favorite whiskey to the next level by infusing it with coffee beans, dark chocolate, or even smoky bacon.

Herbaceous Gin

Gin is a completely neutral spirit. It gets its taste from the flavoring of unique botanicals. You can elevate the botanical taste of gin by infusing it with fresh herbs like coriander or tarragon. Muddle your preferred herbs, add them to the gin, and let it infuse to enhance the spirit’s flavor.

Spirits for Infusing at Joe Canal’s

Are you looking for a way to elevate your drinks at home? Try infusing your favorite spirits to create cocktails packed with delicious-tasting flavor. Located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Joe Canal’s features a large assortment of spirits to choose from. To make your infusing experience even easier, we ship spirits to customers throughout the state. To learn more about cocktail infusion and how to get started, contact us today at Joe Canal’s.