Summer may almost be over but who says that these treasured trends have to stop too? Continue the popular summer trend of infused alcohol into the fall with West Coast Tavern's recipe. Trade in your summer sandals and sun ripened berries for fall sweaters and comforting, earthy flavors to celebrate the changing of seasons with your truly homemade cocktail. Learn the simple steps of infusing your own alcohol, and impress your guest with fall-tastic homemade drinks.
- Vodka with basil, apples, ginger, or garlic
- Bourbon with cinnamon, nutmeg, peanuts, coffee or chocolate
- Tequila with jalepenos, vanilla or rattlesnake
- Rum with vanilla, cinnamon, caramel, and ginger
- Gin with rhubarb, tamarind-orange, or apricot
Simple and easy to do, all you need are fall flavors, a jar and some alcohol to get started. Below is West Coast Tavern’s recipe for bourbon with fall ingredients, but feel free to experiment with whatever you have or what is fresh at the market.
Ingredients and Supplies
750 mL of Whiskey Bourbon
5 Apples
Cinnamon Sticks
Star Anise
Infusion Jar (or about 5 to 6 Mason Jars for a 750mL bottle)
First, cut up the apples into medium size chunks. The apples were cut sideways to visually coordinate the star of the apple with the star anise. Drop them right in the infusion jar.
You can purchase infusion jars at kitchen stores, or you can use simple mason jars. The key is that the lid needs to seal tightly and that the jar must be made of glass.
Along with the apples, sprinkle in the star anise and cinnamon. Try to spread out the ingredients evenly so that they infuse smoothly with the alcohol.
Next, fill up the infusion jar with bourbon. Make sure you completely cover the ingredients, so that they stay well preserved in the jar. This prevents the infusion from spoiling.
When choosing what alcohol to infuse, it is usually best to buy the middle-of-the-line product; not too expensive to break your wallet, but not too cheap that your infusion is not a treat.
Leave the jar in a cool place, like the refrigerator. The longer the alcohol absorbs the ingredients, the more flavors it will have but, 72 hours is the just right amount of time.
Once complete, pour and enjoy!
Watch the leaves change color and celebrate the new season by infusing alcohol with your favorite fall flavors. Pick the liquor and pick the flavors,; make your drink truly your own. Get creative and try things that spark your interest and will have your guests asking for your secret recipe.
