Cheater Gin

March 25, 2009

One day we got thinking about vodka and thought, hey, how about we infuse it with juniper berries and try to make a batch of cheater gin?

They’ve infused basically flavorless vodka with every other darn thing, from fruits to hot peppers, and rolled it out in frosted designer glass with cool brand names that make us feel pimp at the bar when ordering. No bail-out or stimulus package for the booze industry.

So we took a lemon and a couple dollars of juniper berries from Whole Foods (which we paid for) and crammed the berries and zest into a liter of Finlandia. Now we have lemony junipery vodka for martinis and to mix with tonic.

Next time when we down-splurge to recession king Popov brand, we’ll be in martinis for half the price of a Beefeater or Bombay. Plenty left for the accompanying bag of delicious cheese puffs.

Cheater gin isn’t really gin, but so what. It’s really good and makes us happy knowing at least something in our lives is actually appreciating in value unattended. Next time we’ll use the berries and much less lemon zest, maybe none. After all it’s the juniper that makes the thing. And why ver-complicate things? For martinis, don’t forget a good quality vermouth when picking up the Popov.

Juniper Vodka

(Also known as Cheater Gin)

1 liter vodka (80 proof is fine)

1/4 cup juniper berries Lemon zest (optional)

Pour a little of the vodka out to make room in the bottle, about 1/4 cup. Add the juniper berries and zest. Add any of the poured out vodka that will fit in the bottle. Seal and place in a cool, dark place for about a week or longer. Enjoy in your favorite martini or as a refreshing juniper vodka tonic.

Posted in Beverages