Infusions In Mason Jars Are My Prized Cocktail Ingredients — Here’s Why They Are Uncomplicated
If you are a culinary as well as a mixology enthusiast, playing with infusions as cocktail ingredients would be as intriguing an activity for you, as it is for me. Where earlier I would be overwhelmed upon reading cocktail recipes which required a cinnamon infused simple syrup or a basil scented cordial, now, some of these infusions have become cocktail staples which line the small shelf on my home bar. Because making these infusions is hardly as daunting as it sounds.
Little mason jars are stocked with these flavour accents throughout the year. As the seasons change, so too the mason jars feature different infusions. Making the infusions in small batches is what comes in handy in order to switch them as often as possible — simultaneously clearing a space on the shelf for experimental flavour pairings.
Infusions As Cocktail Stars
For mixologists, infusions are an intermediate mixing technique which introduces subtle flavour accents into cocktails. While these might be subdued flavours, they nonetheless lace drinks with a very elegant complexity, such that a saffron-infused simple syrup added to a whisky sour cocktail can imbue into the drink an undercurrent of luxurious aroma and an exquisite deep hue.
So too, with summer cocktails such as a simple ginger and honey vodka spritzer. Think 30 ml Ciroc Ultra Premium Vodka or any other premium vodka of choice mixed with a tablespoon of honey before being topped off with about 45 ml ginger ale. The drink is zingy, fresh and summery. But what takes it to another level altogether is a herbal infusion. Honey, infused with lemon can bring a subtle but ever present citrusy tang into the cocktail which lends it an acidic lift that cuts through the robustly flavoured spicy ginger and the syrupy sweet honey.
Also Read: 5 Incredible Drinks To Serve In Mason Jars
Are Infusions Difficult?
And where many home mixologists — despite recognising the flavour potential of infusions — become slightly nervous is crafting these ingredients at home. It is, in fact, quite uncomplicated.
What one needs is a basic understanding of crafting sugar syrup or honeyed syrup without either one of them turning rock solid when stored for a longer duration in a mason jar. Craft a basic spiced simple syrup with a cinnamon stick placed inside the boiling water and sugar mixture. Take the syrup off the flame when all the sugar has dissolved but the mixture is still quite watery. This will take care of the question of storing the infusions for future use.
One other difficulty that I would run into when crafting infusions initially was that they would be under flavoured. That was one of the reasons that infusions were slightly tricky to make. I was soon to realise that small-batch preparations would be my saving grace.
Making seasonal, small-batch infusions not only enables the creation of a variety of flavourful combinations but measuring ingredient ratios also becomes uncomplicated when they are in smaller proportions. Adding about 8-12 fresh basil leaves to a quarter cup water to sugar ratio is definitely more straightforward and less nerve wracking than sourcing ingredients in bulk to make a fine mint-infused syrup. The resulting infusion can be used for a couple of months to lace summer cocktails before being swapped with a cinnamon and honey blend well-suited to monsoon drinks.
Infusions In My Mason Jars
All this to say that once you embark upon concocting your own infusions, the cocktail-making potential at the home bar expands exponentially. More flavour accents mean more room for innovation, and successful infusions mean diverse combinations coming together to produce interesting results. Here are some of the infusions stored in tiny mason jars which currently line a small bar shelf in my home:
— a simple honey and lime syrup (made with a dash of lime juice and honey, for infusing its flavour into freshly brewed teas and cocktails fashioned using oolong or green tea)
— a saffron-infused syrup (made by infusing saffron strands into simple syrup, for lending monsoon cocktails made with 30 ml gin and herbs a soft orange glow)
— a peppercorn syrup (made by infusing spicy peppercorns in simple syrup; one of the more experimental combinations that adorns gin or tequila-based drinks with a subtle spicy effect)
— a pineapple syrup (made by adding pineapple puree to simple syrup, this is a concoction leftover from summer months but works just as well in certain fruity mai tai variations made using 30 ml white rum)
— a rosemary, basil, thyme syrup (an experimental all-in-one herbal simple syrup for those days when fresh herbs are unavailable in the kitchen garden to build vibrantly flavoured gin and tonics)
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