Do-It-Yourself Strawberry-Flavored Vodka

Some vodka-aficionados make their own flavored vodka to ensure that the flavors are real and come from organically grown sources. Doing so also controls the amount of flavoring the vodka has. Here's a safe and sane way to make your own strawberry-flavored vodka. (First check with local regulations on how much you can make without paying taxes!)

Experiment with other fruits and berries such as raspberries, peaches, and pears.

Strawberry Vodka Infusion

Purchase two one-liter glass Mason jars with airtight covers. It helps if one has a spigot. Then follow these steps:

1. Get a 750 ml bottle of your favorite unflavored vodka and four pints of fresh strawberries. Best types: California and Alpine.

2. Wash everything you're using — from the berries to the Mason jar — so that it's all clean and free of any disinfectant.

3. Remove the green leafy hull and cut the berries in half using a sharp paring knife.

4. Add the berries and the vodka to one of the glass jars and allow them to infuse for a few days in a cool, dark place.

5. To get the most out of the strawberries, line a strainer with layers of cheesecloth and decant the initial mixture from one Mason jar into the second. Use a plastic spoon to press every bit of juice from the berries through the cheesecloth into the second jar. Make sure you add the entire mixture from the first bottle.


6. Let the mixture rest in its new home for a few hours. Sample it. If needed, sweeten with simple syrup — combine 1 cup of refined sugar with 1/2 cup of water; boil until syrupy. Add the syrup to the jar when finished.