I love visiting all my blog friends and seeing what they are doing with their different DIY projects. I find it so inspirational....and also sometimes a little overwhelming. I don't have the time or the energy to work on a million DIY projects. I work full time and we have a very busy social life on top of that. Remember back in my very first post ever I sort of gave you a rundown on what I would be blogging about. That's not to say the list is set in stone by any means but chances are you won't find a ton of DIY projects on my blog at this point in my life. And odd one here and there perhaps....fingers crossed.
Let's talk about DIY my way.
Welcome to DIY according to Debbie!
This morning I pulled out all the mason jars that have been "cooking" in my downstairs fridge since the summer months.
Friends, meet my infusions.
Alcohol, meet my friends. You may have made their acquaintance before.
Aren't you all gorgeous?
I know you're not supposed to love one child more than another but I am most definitely partial to these gorgeous raspberry babies.
Infusing alcohol is quite simple. Amazingly easy, really. Are you ready?
Ok here we go.
Grab a clean jar that has a lid.
Fill it with fruit or veggies or vanilla beans or herbs. Experiment. Think about what you like.
Fill it with your choice of alcohol.
Close the lid, not too tightly though. Let it breathe. I usually close it tight, give it a couple of gentle shakes, and then loosen it again a bit.
Put it in the fridge.
Forget about it for about a month. Sometimes I forget about it for longer.
That's it, all done!
Wasn't that tough? Sorry to put you through that....
When you have time, you can follow the rest of these steps for getting it ready to have drinky-poos! Yes, you heard me right. Drinky poos.
Make sure your containers are clean and ready to go.
Side note: These bottles remind me of the beautiful bottles in Brenda's lovely home at Cozy Little House. I have always loved colored glass!
These are the tools I use - my large Pyrex measuring cup (4 cup), the largest mesh strainer I have, twine, wooden tags, and a permanent marker. And a funnel, but I forgot to put it in the photo! Must have been the fumes....
Put the measuring cup in the sink. Position the mesh strainer over it.
Carefully pour the contents of the jar into the strainer so the liquid ends up in the measuring cup. At least most of it - trust me, you don't want to waste any of this liquid gold!!
Look at how awesomely beautiful this is! This is the Raspberry Gin, my all time favorite. Best summer drink on the planet - Raspberry Gin on the rocks with a good squeeze of lime. Just ask my contractor. He was in heaven when we toasted with that cocktail at the end of a long week this past summer.
Pour the strained berries into a labeled freezer bag. I don't save all of them but I do save any batches that are nice and fresh looking. Remember they have been soaking in gin for a couple of months so they are POTENT!! I like to pop a few into a glass of prosecco....mmmmm. I bet they would be awesome in a glass of frosty lemonade also!! I might try making raspberry chutney from some of the berries this year if the mood strikes and time allows.
Feel free to pop a raspberry into your mouth and let your head gently explode.
Pour the liquid into a clean bottle. I have some wine bottles I save for this purpose, labels soaked off. And these lovely colored glass bottles also.
Important: do not put the lid on at this point! I made that mistake once and the bottle exploded all over the kitchen as it came to room temperature!!! Kind of like Benita's eggs, in a way. Except with slivers of broken glass and raspberry gin all over the kitchen. Just picture it. It was NOT. GOOD.
Seriously though - isn't this Gorgeous? My whole kitchen smelled like a distillery this morning!
Done! Label it, leave it on the counter to come to room temperature and then you can seal it up and add it to your bar. As long as it doesn't have fruit pieces in it this will last as long as any other booze on the bar. My raspberry gin last summer lasted me through the winter and into the summer again (when I finished it with my contractor!) and it still tasted every bit as fresh as the day I strained it.
The end result is three bottles of Raspberry Gin....I told you - I seriously love this stuff!!
One Cucumber Mint Gin...this should be excellent with tonic and a squeeze of lime. An experiment. I volunteer to be the guinea pig.
Strawberry Tequila AND Strawberry Vodka. The vodka smelled like heaven.
And 2 bottles of Cucumber Tequila - I made this last summer with some excess cucumbers from the garden and it makes the most amazing margaritas. You have to believe me. No, really! I told you all about it in this post. Way back when.
Today's harvest. Tee hee, not quite the same as this one is it?
Hey, it's all about the balance, isn't it?
Thanks for the mention! You know, you are a natural at blogging. You have developed your "voice" already. You have just the right amount of enthusiasm and your content is great, as well as your photos. I predict you've found your calling.
ReplyDeleteBrenda
Awwww, shucks, thanks Brenda!!!! You're the best!!
DeleteYes it is about the balance. I like your thinking and your pics are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stacey! It's hard not to take beautiful pics of these gorgeous infusions, am I right? :)
DeleteDebbie, these are fantastic!!! Oh my goodness....it looks way too pretty to drink, but I do like how you forced yourself to do so! ;-) I am so going to have to give this a try....hmmm, blackberries? Would those work? And thank you so much for mentioning me on your blog...that is so sweet! Honey, I cannot even imagine the mess you had to clean up...sheesh...glass everywhere...UGH!!! Hugs!!
ReplyDeleteIt was beyond horrible, that mess, Benita!! And yes, I've done blackberry bourbon and cherry bourbon in the past however since I don't drink bourbon I can't tell you what it tasted like! My sweetie liked it though!
DeleteOh these do look beautiful infusing !! Wouldn't mind trying the cucumber mint gin on the rock's on a cold winter's eve. I've infused olive oil and vinegar with herb's from my garden but the end result of this, much more fun !!
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying your blog and the post's you put out, your doing a great job :)) Take care, TT
That's funny - to me that feels like such a summer drink - but now you have me thinking about it differently!!!! A taste of the summer garden...by a cozy fire....hmmmm!!! Thanks for that, and thanks so much for your kind and encouraging words, Tammy!
DeleteOooooh i just love this post :) Your blog is one of my favs!
ReplyDeleteXO Ellen from Ask Away
www.askawayblog.com
Ellen, you're so sweet!!! You always have the nicest things to say!!
DeleteI've never done this but the post about it was fascinating. Next summer when my strawberries come in I'll have to do a jar ! :)
ReplyDeleteFor sure, Deb!! I actually buy the berries in the supermarket for the most part - when they have a good sale (buy 2, get three free!!) I'll stock up and make my infusions. I have also done them with wild berries from the berry brambles at the edge of the woods. I think I might experiment with some winter fruits as well....apples, oranges, lemons, limes. Maybe apples & cinnamon sticks.....in rum? Now you've got me thinking!!
DeleteOooooh fun, this post is right up my alley! I have made pineapple vodka before but never tried any other flavors, and I'd love to try infusing raspberries!! That sounds so amazing!! I love your bottles too, and the cute labels, how much fun it must be to visit your house!!
ReplyDeletePineapple vodka? Why didn't I think of that, Lisa? I bet it was delicious!! I made pineapple rum last year - it was awesome and made some amazing piña coladas! I want to try something with apples next. Stay tuned on that one!!! I even mad a sweet pepper vodka last year that I thought would be awesome in a Bloody Mary...but it is still sealed up and hasn't been sampled yet. Maybe later today if I think of it!
DeleteThank you for linking up to Tipsy Tuesday!!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
Delete