My boyfriend, Todd has been going on and on about this vodka he had a while back at a bar in.... I think it was Austin. So the vodka was infused with black tea and lavender. He's been craving it as of late and we had some vodka and lavender laying about and last night said "Hey! Let's make some infused vodka!"
Now, we didn't have any black tea, we're more or a green and white tea household. So we started looking through our stash to pick out a flavor that would go well with lavender. It wasn't really hard. I suggested ginseng at first but Todd was looking for something with a little bit more flavor and freshness. Now, I think ginseng has an amazing amount of flavor: subtle but DELICIOUS! But, hey, that's just my opinion. Obviously, he didn't think so, so we ended up picking out this organic ginger tea that I picked up at TJMaxx a while ago. It's very yummy but I think that any ginger tea would probably work. (Could even try it with ginger root maybe? Oooo, I'll try that next time.) Ginger has been used in a multitude of medicinal facets but it's mainly known for helping combat nausea, mainly caused by motion sickness but is used in other cases as well (ever have ginger ale when you've been sick? Yeah, I thought so :P ). It's also used to fight internal infections, inflammation and countless other reasons. It's a very versatile root. So that's one plus for Ginger + Vodka = Healthy.
I LOOOOOOOOOOVE the smell of lavender, it just fills the air once you open the bag and it just reminds me of summer. Also it's edible and good for you in many ways. It's been used in anti-anxiety and depression treatments, the scent has been proven to help you relax and unwind, and it's also used to aid in control of blood sugar for diabetics (Plus for ME!!). Also, they're just pretty, just look at those little flower buds! So I think this infusion is looking even better, since there's two additions that are healthy for you.
Ginger + Lavender + Vodka = Super Healthy!
ANYWAYS! I took 3 tea bags, which weighed about 5 gram total and 2 bags of lavender (each weighing 5 grams ) and put them into a tea pitcher and added the vodka. I didn't really know how much vodka we would be using but it ended up being 1235 mL which didn't fill the pitcher fully so...... I just put it back into the vodka bottle. Usually I would fill the entire thing or use the entire bottle of vodka, but since this was a little spur of the moment and we were just using what we had that was obviously not the case. I would suggest using an entire 1.75 mL bottle of vodka. The type of vodka in'ts particularly important since you will be changing the flavor anyway so it really depends upon your preference.
I was trying REALLY hard to keep the lavender in the little baggies. Like, really hard..... But.... they didn't really want to agree with me and decided to pop open when I moved the mixture back to the vodka bottle. Made me really sad seeing all those little buds floating around in there. :( BUT! If that happens to you, all you need to do is strain the vodka through a coffee filter and a funnel. Super easy, just adds an extra step. It just made me pout for a second but really is no biggy.
Also, you can still filter the vodka through a coffee filter even if the bags do not open. Adding this step just ensures that there is absolutely nothing floating around in there when you consume it.
Once it was all in the bottle and secure (minus the floating flower buds...), the top was screwed back on and I gave it a very vigorous shake. Make a little bit of foam when you do it. The awesome thing about this infusion is that it only takes a few minutes for it to start. Case in point: you can see the vodka is already cloudy and looking a lot like tea after I shook it. There are a lot of infusions that make you wait and watch it, licking your lips, for one to two weeks. Not this one! I wouldn't make that my first thing! You want this thing immediately (at least I know I did... but I resisted)! And basically, you can. HOWEVER, I do suggest letting it sit for at least a day or two so those flavors can really seep in there and mix together.
I would suggest tasting your creation before mixing it with anything. The flavor can be different every time you make it and also depends on the length of time you seep it all for. When drinking you should taste the tea on the intake and then the lavender on the exhale, a mix of a bright flavor finishing off with a floral note. For the time being, my infusion is sitting and waiting for me to drink it (which I can't wait for!) and I will be making another post in which I can really give some pointers on mixers and its final flavor.
I hope you all enjoy and leave comments on your experience! I'd love to hear how your attempts have turned out!!
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