maybe some of you remember a discussion a while back of additives for a
bloody mary. some favored dill pickle juice; i described my efforts to buy
pickle juice from a sandwich place near me that were unavailing. (i drink
more bloody marys than eat pickles, so what i have on hand is not enough.)

so, i decided to eliminate the middleman and make some dill-infused vodka.

what you'll need:

capacious jar/bottle of some type with a mouth wide enough to put the dill
in

1 bunch fresh dill weed

1.75 liters vodka plus additional (i use the everyday 80-proof stuff i use
for other cocktails)

***

pluck the fronds from the dill. (you don't need to be to compulsive, but
you don't want to include all the stems, either.) i've found it goes
quicker if you put the plucked fronds on a plate until you have a good
handful, and then cram them into the jar.

add vodka to cover plus an inch or two.

put in a dark place (a plastic bag will do) and shake every day or so. let
steep for at least 10 days - longer won't hurt anything. i've let it go as
long as a month.

the vodka will take on a greenish tinge, sort of like a chartreuse liqueur,
and a smell of dill. strain and re-bottle in the original vodka bottle.
(the straining isn't hard - the dill doesn't disintegrate or anything.)

if that seems like too large a commitment, you can try the concept by
steeping a generous tablespoon of dried dill weed in a cup of vodka (adding
a half-teaspoon of dill seeds if you wish) for a week or so, and then
straining.

***

i think it makes a very good mary. i don't cook with vodka, so i don't
know what the implications would be for, say, pasta or curing salmon.

your pal,
blake

In article >,
blake murphy > wrote:

<snipped>
Sounds interesting Blake, thanks! :-)
On the rare occasions I make bloody marys, I use V-8 juice.

I'll bet celery seed would be another good infusion herb for this.

> i think it makes a very good mary. i don't cook with vodka, so i don't
> know what the implications would be for, say, pasta or curing salmon.
>
> your pal,
> blake
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein


Subscribe:

James Silverton > wrote:

> A quick slug of pepper vodka from a bottle kept in the freezer is an
> excellent pick me up. I believe Russians make it with black pepper but I
> use dried hot peppers to make my own.

Commercial pertsovka is made with chile and cubeb peppers; home made
ones are made with whatever is available, of course.

> I don't go for Absolut Peppar
> vodka that tastes to me as if it is made with green sweet peppers.

Yes, and it seems perfumed. It is good in a Blood Mary, though, opening
up and revealing a nice peppery taste of another kind. A good
commercial pepper vodka is Georgievskaya Pepper. Another one is Russian
Garant with peperoni and garlic, which is very, *very* spicy.

Victor

On Sat, 5 Sep 2009 15:02:45 -0400, blake murphy
> wrote:

>maybe some of you remember a discussion a while back of additives for a
>bloody mary. some favored dill pickle juice; i described my efforts to buy
>pickle juice from a sandwich place near me that were unavailing. (i drink
>more bloody marys than eat pickles, so what i have on hand is not enough.)
>
>so, i decided to eliminate the middleman and make some dill-infused vodka.

snippage of project

Dang, that sounds good enough to make me like vodka.

koko
--

There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 08/31

On Sat, 05 Sep 2009 13:07:43 -0600, Christine Dabney wrote:

> On Sat, 5 Sep 2009 15:02:45 -0400, blake murphy
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>pluck the fronds from the dill. (you don't need to be to compulsive, but
>>you don't
>>if that seems like too large a commitment, you can try the concept by
>>steeping a generous tablespoon of dried dill weed in a cup of vodka (adding
>>a half-teaspoon of dill seeds if you wish)
>
> How do you think it would work with just dill seeds?
>
> Christine

i think it would be a little stronger. try it out with, say, a teaspoon of
seeds and a cup of vodka and report back.

your pal,
blake

On Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:30:54 -0700, koko wrote:

> On Sat, 5 Sep 2009 15:02:45 -0400, blake murphy
> > wrote:
>
>>maybe some of you remember a discussion a while back of additives for a
>>bloody mary. some favored dill pickle juice; i described my efforts to buy
>>pickle juice from a sandwich place near me that were unavailing. (i drink
>>more bloody marys than eat pickles, so what i have on hand is not enough.)
>>
>>so, i decided to eliminate the middleman and make some dill-infused vodka.
>
> snippage of project
>
> Dang, that sounds good enough to make me like vodka.
>
> koko

i'm too big a sissy to do shots of vodka, but it makes a nice mary.

your pal,
bl;ake

blake wrote on Sun, 6 Sep 2009 12:38:49 -0400:

>> On Sat, 5 Sep 2009 15:02:45 -0400, blake murphy
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> maybe some of you remember a discussion a while back of
>>> additives for a bloody mary. some favored dill pickle
>>> juice; i described my efforts to buy pickle juice from a
>>> sandwich place near me that were unavailing. (i drink more
>>> bloody marys than eat pickles, so what i have on hand is not
>>> enough.)
>>>
>>> so, i decided to eliminate the middleman and make some
>>> dill-infused vodka.
>>
>> snippage of project
>>
>> Dang, that sounds good enough to make me like vodka.
>>
>> koko

> i'm too big a sissy to do shots of vodka, but it makes a nice
> mary.

A quick slug of pepper vodka from a bottle kept in the freezer is an
excellent pick me up. I believe Russians make it with black pepper but I
use dried hot peppers to make my own. I don't go for Absolut Peppar
vodka that tastes to me as if it is made with green sweet peppers.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:59:27 GMT, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

>A quick slug of pepper vodka from a bottle kept in the freezer is an
>excellent pick me up. I believe Russians make it with black pepper but I
>use dried hot peppers to make my own. I don't go for Absolut Peppar
>vodka that tastes to me as if it is made with green sweet peppers.

Try half a jalapeno, use the entire pepper if half of it doesn't pack
enough punch for you.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Sun, 6 Sep 2009 00:54:29 +0200, Victor Sack wrote:

> James Silverton > wrote:
>
>> A quick slug of pepper vodka from a bottle kept in the freezer is an
>> excellent pick me up. I believe Russians make it with black pepper but I
>> use dried hot peppers to make my own.
>
> Commercial pertsovka is made with chile and cubeb peppers; home made
> ones are made with whatever is available, of course.
>
>> I don't go for Absolut Peppar
>> vodka that tastes to me as if it is made with green sweet peppers.
>
> Yes, and it seems perfumed. It is good in a Blood Mary, though, opening
> up and revealing a nice peppery taste of another kind. A good
> commercial pepper vodka is Georgievskaya Pepper. Another one is Russian
> Garant with peperoni and garlic, which is very, *very* spicy.
>
> Victor

i've seen the garant name before in connection with infused vodkas.

there are a couple of vodka bars in d.c. with a staggering (heh) variety of
spirits that cater to russian ex-pats. can't say i've been to one, though.

your pal,
blake

blake murphy > wrote:

> On Sun, 6 Sep 2009 00:54:29 +0200, Victor Sack wrote:
>
> > A good
> > commercial pepper vodka is Georgievskaya Pepper. Another one is Russian
> > Garant with peperoni and garlic, which is very, *very* spicy.
>
> i've seen the garant name before in connection with infused vodkas.

They make an unflavoured vodka, too. Here are their products:
<http://glamourdc.net/sergey79/vodkagarant/html/products.html>.

Victor

On Mon, 7 Sep 2009 23:54:11 +0200, Victor Sack wrote:

> blake murphy > wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 6 Sep 2009 00:54:29 +0200, Victor Sack wrote:
>>
>>> A good
>>> commercial pepper vodka is Georgievskaya Pepper. Another one is Russian
>>> Garant with peperoni and garlic, which is very, *very* spicy.
>>
>> i've seen the garant name before in connection with infused vodkas.
>
> They make an unflavoured vodka, too. Here are their products:
> <http://glamourdc.net/sergey79/vodkagarant/html/products.html>.
>
> Victor

probably too rich for my blood.

your pal,
blake

blake murphy > wrote:

> On Mon, 7 Sep 2009 23:54:11 +0200, Victor Sack wrote:
>
> > blake murphy > wrote:
> >>
> >> i've seen the garant name before in connection with infused vodkas.
> >
> > They make an unflavoured vodka, too. Here are their products:
> > <http://glamourdc.net/sergey79/vodkagarant/html/products.html>.
>
> probably too rich for my blood.

I have tasted two of their vodkas: peperoni and garlic, and horseradish.
The former is very spicy, harsh even; the latter is mild and easy to
drink, but the horseradish taste does not really come through. I wish I
could try their pickle vodka, but it does not seem to be marketed here
yet. The vodkas are not very expensive, comparatively speaking: a 1/2 l
bottle costs EUR 7.95, but just a few months ago it cost a euro less.
It is more expensive than a 1 l bottle of generic stuff with 37.5%
alcohol content I use for my Bloody Marys, but it is still not anywhere
near the price class of "super-premium" vodkas that cost EUR 50 or more.

Victor

On Tue, 8 Sep 2009 23:52:40 +0200, Victor Sack wrote:

> blake murphy > wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 7 Sep 2009 23:54:11 +0200, Victor Sack wrote:
>>
>>> blake murphy > wrote:
>>>>
>>>> i've seen the garant name before in connection with infused vodkas.
>>>
>>> They make an unflavoured vodka, too. Here are their products:
>>> <http://glamourdc.net/sergey79/vodkagarant/html/products.html>.
>>
>> probably too rich for my blood.
>
> I have tasted two of their vodkas: peperoni and garlic, and horseradish.
> The former is very spicy, harsh even; the latter is mild and easy to
> drink, but the horseradish taste does not really come through. I wish I
> could try their pickle vodka, but it does not seem to be marketed here
> yet. The vodkas are not very expensive, comparatively speaking: a 1/2 l
> bottle costs EUR 7.95, but just a few months ago it cost a euro less.
> It is more expensive than a 1 l bottle of generic stuff with 37.5%
> alcohol content I use for my Bloody Marys, but it is still not anywhere
> near the price class of "super-premium" vodkas that cost EUR 50 or more.
>
> Victor

o.k. i'll keep an eye out.

your pal,
blake