Hip Sips: Modern Cocktails to Raise Your Spirits is a new book by Lucy Brennan and Carolyn Burleigh which aims to bring cocktails back into fashion. An Amazon reviewer describes:
Featuring the drinks that made Brennan’s 820 bar the best spot for cocktails in Portland, Oregon. Beets, avocados, and berries take their rightful place a long side the popular citrus fruits. Do it yourself infusions replace flavored alcohols.
DIY infusions sound lovely. Anything that teaches us how to craft our own liquids gets high marks from us. Imbibe Magazine’s blog has an excerpt from Hip Sips that describes the “Ruby,” a chilled martini-like tonic made with beet-infused vodka.
A Taste of Lucy Brennan’s “Hip Sips” [ImbibeMagazine.blogspot.com]
One cool infusion I learned is how to make peppermint vodka. Apparently you just buy a bunch of those red and white mint candies and let them sit in a bottle of (pretty cheap) vodka for a day or two, then strain out what remains. It not only infuses the vodka with mint, it also gives it a sweeter taste and a pinkish color that works really well in cocktails.
I bet you could easily do that with fresh mint, which grows like the weed it is and gives up its oils very easily.
yeah I bet you could. The restaurant I learned this at valued the pink color and the sweetness too.