The Art of Steeping: Flavoring Your Own Liquor

What you're going to need

Equipment

• Air Tight Jar: Usually a mason jar used for caning, however any glass or ceramic container with a good lid will do. Steer clear of plastics and metal, alcohol in high concentrations has a tendency to be a tad corrosive on those materials. The size of the jar will be dependent on the amount you will be working with. Always remember to leave a little extra room for your additions. If you start with .5 liters of base and .5 liters of sweetener you should use a jar with at least a 1.25 liter capacity.
• Boiling Pot and Spoon: Any old kitchen pot with a big enough capacity will do, no need to run out to buy anything fancy. The only thing you'll be doing with this is making your sweetener. Stick with metal or wooden spoons, plastic ones sometimes have a tendency to melt on hot surfaces.
• Paring Knife: You'll need a sharp knife to remove unwanted parts of fruits, such as seeds, and to cut them up small enough to fit in your jar.
• Zester/Peeler: There will be some additions where you will only want the peel such as with oranges and other citrus fruits.
• Glass Liquor/Wine Bottle: Go ahead and finish off that wine you were saving for a special occasion cause you're going to need the bottle to store your finished product in.
• Extra Container or Pot: Have an extra container or pot on hand, you'll need to strain your mix eventually.
• Cheese Cloth, Coffee Filter and Funnel: When it comes time to strain off your infusion you'll have to do it in steps, first starting with the cheese cloth to take off the larger pieces then moving down to a coffee filter to ensure a crystal clear final product.
• Wine Corker: You'll need to let your infusion sit on average for one to two months once you strained it out, and nothing helps the aging process better than a corked seal.

Ingredients

• Base: Your base is the actual alcohol content in the mix. We aren't distilling or fermenting our own, because for the most part that's illegal. The base is entirely up to you, but it should compliment your choice on additions. If you are going for a tropical blend work with light rum, if you are looking for a more full bodied flavor try steeping in brandy.
• Additions: This is where the flavor comes from and is entirely up to you. Be creative and try new combinations. If you are stuck on inspiration you can always go online to find some great recipes. Common additions include fruit, herbs, extracts and spices.
• Sweetener: Like the base and the additions, the sweetener depends entirely on you. Some recipes won't even call for the addition of sugar because the final flavor will be mild enough to cut the overpowering taste of alcohol. Common sweeteners include granulated, brown and cane sugar as well as honey, maple syrup and molasses.
• Filtered/Spring Water: Don't use water straight from the tap. A clean fresh taste is everything so go ahead and buy the gallon of Poland Springs water for 95 cents.

The process

• 1Prepare the additions:As mentioned several times, the additions are completely up to you and your tastes. Be creative if you can. Try to copy an existing recipe or create your signature blend.
  Berries: remove leaves and stems then wash, leave whole, but score the skins on harder berries
  Pineapple, mango and similar fruit: wash, remove husk and leaves, cut into chunks
  Strawberries and citrus fruit:wash and slice thinly or use zests of lemons and oranges
  Vanilla Beans: wash and cut lengthwise
  Herbs: wash and use whole
  Peppers: wash, remove stem and leave whole or cut in half
  Nuts: wash, remove shell and roughly grind
  
  When working with ingredients such as whole fruit be sure to slice or mash it in order to allow the maximum amount of juices to enter the liquor (make sure you also transfer over any juice that might end up on your cutting board as well).
• 2Initial infusion: Combine the natural flavor additions with the base spirit and seal the jar. Use a dry erase marker to note the date, the ingredients and their quantities, the type and amount of spirit, and its current proof (the proof of the base spirit).
• 3First steeping: Find a cool dark place where your mixture can remain undisturbed for some time. Gently shake daily to avoid settling and to encourage the transfer of flavor from your additions to the alcohol. Also, remember to taste your mixture every few days to make sure the flavoring is going as expected
  
  General steeping times: The amount of time listed below are best guesses based on experience. You're the chef, it's entirely up to you in the end.
  6-7 days for Intense flavors: Vanilla beans, lemons, oranges, grapefruit, limes, mint, garlic, tarragon, basil, oregano, dill, thyme and peppers.
  1.5 weeks for moderate flavors: Cantaloupes, strawberries, peaches, mangoes, pitted cherries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.
  2-4 weeks for mild flavors: Pineapples, ginger and lemon grass.
• 4Straining: Proper straining will ensure the clarity of your liquor. Start with a large coarse strainer, then a fine strainer, and then finally working your way down to a coffee filter. Make sure you maximize your return. Some alcohol will find its way into your additions, so do your best to strain as much of the liquid as possible from the batch. If at all possible, run the remainder of your strainings through a juicer and then run that through a coffee filter.
• 5Secondary infusion: If you recipe calls for sugar syrup or extracts now is the time to add them slowly and in small amounts. Make sure you aren't planning on going anywhere for a while because you should be testing the blend after ever increment. Once you find a taste suitable to your needs, mark the new date, new ingredients, and add the updated proof (If you start with750 mL of an 80 proof base and then dilute it with 750 mL of sugar syrup, you will have a final product with 40 proof).
  
  REMEMBER! Don't add your sweetener directly to the alcohol; it will take far too long to properly diffuse. Instead mix it with water over high heat, and then combine it with your alcohol once it's cooled down to room temperature.
• 6Secondary Steeping: Once you've added sugar place the bottle bake in the same spot and make sure you let the mixture age for at least a month. This allows the flavors to mellow and properly blend together.
• 7Final preparations: Take all of the information you wrote on the side of the jar and make up a nice label so you can keep track of what exactly it is that you made. Funnel the final blend into old wine or liquor bottles and before you cork the bottle, make sure to add a little bit of the original ingredient if you can. This will help to dress up your concoction and add to the overall flavor. A few berries or a citrus peel will scream "classy."

Making your sugar syrup

• 1Bring 2 cups of water to a rolling boil in a sauce pan.
• 2Add two cups of sugar, less if you are using an artificial sweetener.
• 3Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved within the water.
• 4Remove from heat and let cool until it reaches room temperature before using.