You can infuse vodka with many things, and I love to experiment. A recent favorite was this jasmine flower vodka. I’m sure many of you have come across the beautiful jasmine teas that unfold dramatically when steeped in hot water. They blossom beautifully in your cup. Well, you can do something similar in vodka, or another spirit as well. I tend to start with vodka because it is neutral, but you could certainly experiment.

The strength in flavor depends on how long you leave the “flower” in the vodka. Once it is to your liking you can use it in cocktails, or in the same way you might use a vanilla extract – in baking.

There are a number of considerations here. The longer you leave the vodka in contact with the jasmine tea, the stronger the flavor will be. But there’s a catch. As the hours pass, the alcohol also darkens, and take on increasingly tannic notes. So! I recommend letting an hour pass with the vodka in contact with the leaves, and then increasing from there depending on what you’re after. 

There are a lot of different producers of blossoming teas, and you can typically find them in well-stocked tea sections. You’re looking for something like this. They are typically named red blossoming tea, or blooming jasmine tea, or something along those lines.

Let me know if you end up making a special cocktail with this – a simple jasmine flower vodka soda is nice, but there are worlds of options to explore!

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