Food: Vodka receipies

So I lied. I said I'll post up details of my Singapore trip this week, but it's hit thursday. Thursday is depressing for me because it's when I get a whole load of ill patients and I have to do my laundry. It's mostly the laundry.

So, to brighten up my day, I'll take you through one of my Vodka receipes. I've been making flavored vodka for sometime and it's a great way of taking that using the leftovers of cheap, paint peeler vodka (own up, it's in the back of the drinks cupboard from when you were drunk and passed a shop on the way home...).

Blueberry Vodka & Drunk Ribena Berries

Basically, you need:

1. Vodka
2. 200g of blueberries to 300ml of vodka
3. another 200g of blueberries to 300ml of vodka
4. 1 Air tight bottle
5. Patience

I don't add sugar to my fruit vodkas. I find you get too much acids forming which can take away from the natural clarity vodka offers. Remember you're flavoring vodka not making it.

Wash and dry the blueberries. Then using a toothpick, punch about half a dozen holes in each berry. Place the berries into the bottle and add the vodka. Ensure the bottle/jar is air tight, seal and leave for 1week. You will find the vodka has 'bleached' the berries by this time, taking on a nice rose to claret color. Maybe vodka isn't so great for us huh?

Give it a good shake around, open the container to allow the carbon dioxide to escape, reseal and leave for another 2 weeks. After a total of 3 weeks, you will need to strain out the original berries (but don't throw them away!). Repeat the original process with a fresh batch of blueberries and original vodka. Leave the new mixture to sit in a dark, cool place for another week before enjoying.

The perfect compliment to this drink is what I call Drunk Ribena Berries. Take the original, bleached blueberries, punch another half dozen holes in each. Place in a small, air tight container and add Ribena to just cover the fruit. Leave for 1 week in the fridge, giving the occasional swirl. Serve on a small plate dusted with castor sugar.

Apple Vodka

Basically the same as the Blueberry Vodka but with apples. You'll need to go through the same process but with half an Apple in conversion and half a cooking Apple. I've found through exhaustive studies that this is the best combination of tart acidity and palatability. (well okay, I tried 3 different combinations, but I think that pretty exhaustive.) Best results achieved with finely sliced apple segments.