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Infused vodka is a fun and unique hostess gift for the holidays. Vodka can be infused with a variety of flavors from citrus to candy canes!
If you’re like me, then you love shopping for Christmas gifts. It’s never seemed like a chore to me to choose the perfect give for everyone on my list. Some years, I get my shopping done extremely early, and other years (like this one, for instance) I tend to spread my shopping out over a long period of time and perhaps even wait until *gasp* last minute to find the right gift.
That being said, I don’t appreciate the multiple emails a day in my inbox that are telling me that “time is running out” and that “there is still time to choose those last minute gifts”. It’s the first week of December! By no means is this last minute, and it irks me that stores try to get me all stressed out that I don’t have my shopping done yet.
Just to prove to you that we all still have plenty of time to choose your holiday gifts, here is an awesome homemade edible gift idea that takes several days to make, but with very little actual hands on time. Yes, infused vodkas are easy, impressive and delicious, but they do take a few days to make. But no worries, right? We all still have plenty of time!
I’ve been wanting to try to make my own flavored vodkas for a while now. I love the idea of mixing unique combinations of flavors that lead to some very impressive cocktails. I decided to go with three flavors and played around a little with various winter and
holiday classics.
For the Citrus Rosemary Vodka, I combined clementines with a bit of grapefruit and some aromatic rosemary. It’s like a cocktail version of my Rosemary Citrus Spritzer. The Cranberry Orange Vodka has notes of cinnamon and clove for a warm, holiday feel and the Candy Cane Vodka is full of pepperminty flavor. Simply place vodka and your desired flavor infusers in a mason jar and allow to steep until the the vodka has taken on the flavor of your added ingredients. The process couldn’t be simpler!
These vodkas make perfect hostess gifts for the holidays, especially when decanted into fancy bottles or even sweet little mason jars. Tie a hand stamped gift tag around each bottle for a complete package. Don’t let your email inbox bully you into thinking you’ve run out of time. Relax, make some infused vodka and sip on a yummy holiday cocktail. You totally have time!
Have a safe and happy holiday season!
Infused Vodka Recipes
Ingredients:
Cranberry Orange Vodka
- 1 3-inch strip of orange zest (removed with a vegetable peeler)
- 1/4 cup fresh cranberries, halved
- 4 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 1/2 cups vodka
Citrus Rosemary Vodka
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 clementine, sliced
- 1 1/2 inch slice of grapefruit, rind and pith removed
- 1 1/2 cups vodka
Candy Cane Vodka
- 5 full size peppermint candy canes, crushed
- 1 1/2 cups vodka
Directions:
Cranberry Orange Vodka
- Combine all ingredients in a quart sized mason jar and screw on lid.
- Allow mixture to infuse for 2-4 days, shaking 1-2 times a day.
- After vodka is infused, strain out all solids through a cheesecloth and decant into a fresh bottle or jar.
Citrus Rosemary Vodka
- Combine all ingredients in a quart sized mason jar and screw on lid.
- Allow mixture to infuse for 2-4 days, shaking 1-2 times a day.
- After vodka is infused, strain out all solids through a cheesecloth and decant into a fresh bottle or jar.
Candy Cane Vodka
- Combine all ingredients in a quart sized mason jar and screw on lid.
- Allow mixture to infuse for about 30 minutes.
- After vodka is infused, strain out all solids through a cheese cloth and decant into a fresh bottle or jar.
Follow Jamie on Instagram. We love to see what you're baking from MBA! Be sure to tag @jamiemba and use the hashtag #mbarecipes!
This is a great idea! How long does the vodka last?
Hi Traci,
Because of the high proof of the alcohol, the infused vodkas will keep for several months. Be sure to sanitize your decorative bottles thoroughly before decanting the vodkas. As for the decorative orange peel or vanilla bean, I’ve never done that, but it should be fine.
Thanks for stopping by!
~Emily
How far in advance can you make these? Can you pop a vanilla pod or orange peel in before you gp give them for decoration?
Hi Lyn,
Because of the high proof of the alcohol, the infused vodkas will keep for several months. Be sure to sanitize your decorative bottles thoroughly before decanting the vodkas. As for the decorative orange peel or vanilla bean, I’ve never done that, but it should be fine.
Thanks for stopping by!
~Emily
what size are the little bottles? and how many of each of the little bottles does each mixture make at once? thanks
Ray-
You can check out the bottles here: https://www.beanilla.com/glass-bottles-jars – sizes vary. Thanks so much!
-Jamie
Hi, love the ideas! However, I made candy cane vodka myself this year, and I have to offer a bit of a tweak. I find that there is no need to strain out the solids — candy canes are almost pure sugar, and therefore will dissolve fully into the vodka within a few hours or so, even quicker if you crush them finely. I think if you strain it, you’ll probably end up with a lot less candy cane flavor and smell. I used three to four candy canes per 16 oz mason jar and let them dissolve fully, and my friend who was serving as my guinea pig said it was the perfect amount of candy cane.
Hi Ryan! I’m really glad to know that because I suspected that if I waited long enough, they would dissolve completely. I had been concerned that it would be too strong a flavor, but I am going to try your method next time! Thanks so much for the tip! I hope you had a great holiday season and thanks so much for stopping by!
~Emily
Absolutely LOVE this idea- DIY Gifting perfection!
I’m SO doing this. I bought the bottles at Hobby Lobby yesterday. One ?, what do you mix the vodka with? Ginger Ale, Sprite? Thanks for sharing!!
This is a must! Getting the stuff for it this weekend….yep plenty of time. However, any cocktail recipes you could share using these infused vodkas?
What a brilliant xmas gift idea!! Thanks for sharing :)
These sound delicious and so easy to make. Where did you get those lovely little bottles?
They are perfect for gift giving.
Hi Chris! I found these little bottles at Hobby Lobby, but if you don’t have one near you, I would check out any craft store such as Michaels. Thanks so much for stopping by!
~Emily
They have similar at ikea as well for a very reasonable price if you have one near you.