As (cooking) YouTuber Barry Lewis would say: "This is stonking" - which is a good thing! I've been wanting to make this for a while, and finally it's nearly Christmas so I have. It is much better than I expected, to be honest. Sweet, fruity, spicy and so warming. And you end up with heaps of vodka-infused fruit that goes beautifully on top of vanilla ice cream!
This recipe is from a Delicious magazine, though I've seen similar on the Net, with varying amounts of the dried fruit etc. I only changed one thing - I used craisins rather than raisins as I'm not a raisin fan. Too squishy for me! I just can't do 'squishy'. I can only eat blueberries or grapes at peak level of firmness. Once they're past a certain degree of squish, nope no can do. Uuuurrrggghhh, that texture thing makes me shudder. Am I weird? :=)
Merry merry festive season, everyone!!
Merry Christmas pudding to you! |
Makes about 700 mL:
ingredients:
1 x 700 mL bottle of vodka
250g./9 oz dark brown sugar
250g./9 oz sultanas
150g./5.3 oz craisins or raisins
100g./3.5 oz mixed peel
1 orange - zest/rind and juice thereof
1 tsp almond essence
6 cloves (yes 6!!)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped out - see Notes
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp mixed spice
Method:
Place everything except the vodka into a big jar or bowl - I used a tall, glass jar which holds about 1.5 Litres
Then pour the vodka over the lot, and give it a massive stir! Make sure you get down to the bottom, so as to stir in all the sugar
Put it in a cool, dark place with a tea-towel over it; stir it once a day for a week
Strain it through a very fine sieve or a sieve with a piece of muslin lining it - into a large bowl or jug of course
Let it sit for an hour or two, giving it the occasional squeeze down - I got heaps of it off the bottom of the sieve!
Decant into bottles of your choosing - you can just pour it straight back into the vodka bottle or share some with friends via small bottles
Serve on the rocks (can be kept in the fridge for up to 6 months)
None of the recipes I saw mentioned what to do with the plump, alcohol-ridden fruit that you now have left: "Buy some vanilla ice cream!", declaims Mr P. And yes that's a darn good idea, Mr P.!
I put the fruit into jars with a bit of extra vodka, and whacked 'em into the fridge for later ice cream treats. When I say later, I mean that night as Mr P. demanded we head to the grocery store and buy some ice cream tout de suite :=)
Notes:
I didn't bother doing much scraping of the vanilla beans to be honest! I did scrape one a bit, then I just snipped up the other one into small pieces as it all ends up swilling around anyway in the jar
gather your ingredients |
zest and juice that orange |
split and scrape the vanilla beans |
plonk everything into a large jar or bowl |
looks a bit murky but turns out all right in the end :=) |
stir once a day for a week |
give it a good squish down |
This looks so good. I can almost smell it!
ReplyDeletethanks Marie. It does have a wonderfully fruity smell.
DeleteHi Sherry, I've never made any sort of infused vodka before, but this looks like a delicious recipe to try! I love the warm spice, citrus and fruit! Wonderful that nothing goes to waste and you've got a delicious batch of mincemeat out of this too!! Lovely recipe!!
ReplyDeletethanks! yes it's a beauty marcelle. lots of wonderful flavours.
DeleteWow! Sherry, I've never heard of such a thing! I'm not much of a drinker, but what a nice gift for others, and I could have the fruit with ice cream a la Mr P!
ReplyDeletethanks Jean. Yes it is quite delicious!
DeleteThat definitely is one tasty vodka! Keen to try them
ReplyDeletethanks Raymund.
DeleteDon't eat too much of that fruit at once ha ha. It might knock you sideways. I also want my grapes to be firm, and seedless.
ReplyDeletefrom Tandy I Lavender and Lime https://tandysinclair.com
yes it is quite strong Tandy. Merry Christmas to you!
DeleteThis is full of holiday flavours that we would enjoy too! Cheers!
ReplyDeletethanks ANgie.
DeleteWow you've got me hooked with this one Sherry. I love that the cheapest vodka can probably be used, the bottle reused, and it all keeps on giving. We also tend to have all of the ingredients in our pantry already around Christmas. Great recipe. Merry Christmas to you both too.
ReplyDeletethis is a good one pauline. Merry Christmas!
DeleteI hope Santa doesn't get into that fruit - his sleigh might end up going through your front window! :-) This does sound delicious. We've done infused liquors in the past, but I like the Christmas vibe going on here. And good call on the craisins instead of raisins!
ReplyDeleteyes it has quite a hefty kick david:) Yep i just can't do raisins. UUrrggh
DeleteWe're making homemade fireball whisky for Xmas. I will add this recipe to our to-do list for gifts. This sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletefireball whisky? I guess it has chillies in it ...
DeleteMy mother used to make something similar to this that she called Witches Brew -- slightly different fruits. It was always a big smile among us younger kids but now...!!! We'd love it! (It was great on ice cream -- this sounds like it too!)
ReplyDeletewitches brew? I like it!
DeleteThis looks fantastic. I can just imagine the flavors. Wow!
ReplyDeletethanks Deb.
DeleteI should imagine this would go down well at this time of year! Or in my house at any time!! Ha ha! Love it Sherry!
ReplyDeleteyes indeed. this goes down very well :)
DeleteColor me impressed that you take the time to make your own Christmas pudding. It's quite a process!
ReplyDeletethanks frank tho I have to confess to only making the infused vodka. cheers!
DeleteYou had me at Christmas vodka!
ReplyDeletethanks Jeff.
DeleteOh wow, I love the sound of this Christmas Vodka, thanks for a great recipe.
ReplyDeletethanks balvinder. it really is delightful!
DeleteChe buone che saranno! Grazie!
ReplyDeletethank you!
DeleteHi Sherry, now up here in Sweden we'd say you just mad a grand "Jule Akvavit". Sounds wonderful and on ice cream even better. We love a splash of gin on our vanilla ice cream.
ReplyDeletehi Ron yes it worked out well. I was pleased. and yep great on ice cream.
DeleteI've made this for the past 15 years and it's always a hit. We also love the plump boozy fruit!
ReplyDeleteoh yes lorraine i've checked your blog and found your recipe. I honestly didn't know (or remember?) that you made it. It's great stuff!
DeleteNo, you are not weird (in my book, anyway!) Seedless white grapes and firm blueberries that go pop in your mouth are the only way to go. The infused vodka sounds fabulous!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the inspiration... and there's no way I am giving it away!
Skipper May
thank you skipper may. I think i gave too much of it away! not much left for me - tee hee!
DeleteNow, I am not a big vodka person - so this makes vodka sounds good! A great way to begin the holiday celebration.
ReplyDeleteit really is delicious david.
DeleteI'm not a vodka person (To be completely honest, I quite hate the way it tastes and smells!) But vodka Infused with all these festive flavours must be quite good! And you can definitely use it as a cake soak etc. And you've found a perfect use for those fruit - that would have been a shame to discard them!
ReplyDeleteyes vodka sometimes smells like kerosene to me :) But infused is fab!
Deletethanks Ben. We have enjoyed this :=)
ReplyDeleteSherry, this pudding really does sound decadent and delicious. Loved seeing a picture of you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Judee.
DeleteThis is such a great idea, both for drinking as is, and as an aromatic addition to different dishes.
ReplyDeletethank you Ronit.
Delete