Jalapeno Lime Vodka

On father's day, my family got me (among other things) a VodkaZinger.

A what?

A neat little infuser that allows you to make custom flavored alcohol in small batches in a short period of time.  A few weeks ago, a coworker received one as a gift, and the idea migrated to the wife that I really needed another way to enjoy alcohol.

It works by having a little opposing blade rough grinder at the bottom that you load with whatever flavor you want.  When you screw it on, the blades clop and crush the flavorant, and keep it in the bottom with a fine mesh strainer.  Then you fill with the beverage of your choice, shake and steep in the fridge.

Of course, it was a Sunday, and in Texas we still have these asinine Blue Laws that say that hard liquor can only be sold at liquor stores... and that the stores must be closed on Sundays.

...and we were out of vodka.

So I did a test run with some strawberries and lime with water, and made a nice refreshing agua fresca.

Today, I was able to sneak out to the liquor store and score a bottle of vodka.  We had some jalapenos left over, and were fresh out of limes... so I improvised for a test run and used some key lime juice I had lying about.

That's some targeted marketing, rite thar'

With a rough chop of the seeded peppers (we already knew this batch was rocket hot), I loaded up the bottom of the 'Zinger' and started the process.

Into the fridge it goes!

Meanwhile, it was time to put That Kid to bed.  I let it steep for an hour or so (meanwhile I reminded myself why you should not touch your eyes after processing hot peppers) and decided to try a taste.

It was REALLY good.  It really brought across the flavor of the jalapenos.  I immediately regretted not  getting tequila and doing this to make some awesome Jalapeno Margaritas.

Clean up was a snap.  The peppers came out of the bottom easy and the carafe cleaned right up quick with no lingering odor of either the peppers or the vodka.

Now, I'm sure someone is asking 'what does this give you over just cutting up the stuff and steeping it in a mason jar?'  Really just one thing- speed.  A few months ago, I did a Meyer Lemon infused vodka, and to get this level of flavor transfer, it took about 3-4 days of steeping.

Can you tell I like to drink local?

All in all, this was a nice gift, and something I think I'll get some good use out of.  It is fairly inexpensive, and I think worth the price.   I am going to try different flavors with different liquors and see if I can come up with something really good.

Of course, I could just be mean and make someone a 'special' drink...