Skip to main content

INFO: How to Infuse Vodka with Chocolate


As I post more and more, I find I am also getting more and more people coming here on internet searches for various things. A lot of the time, I can tell they found exactly what they were looking for: a review of BLD , say, or how to dry tomatoes.

But sometimes I can tell that they did not find what they were actually looking for, and that makes me sad. So I have decided that every now and then, when I see a keyword search on my stats that is something I can answer, I will go ahead and answer it, so that the next time someone comes looking, they will find what they are looking for.

This post's question is regarding how to infuse vodka with chocolate. I consulted the book "Infused," by Susan Elia MacNeal and Leigh Beisch. The answer turns out to be very simple: cocoa.

One cup of cocoa powder infused in a 750 ml bottle of vodka for 2 weeks to a month will get you a nice chocolate vodka. Once it's done infusing, strain twice, discarding any solids and then add simple syrup to taste. Pour it into a bottle and then age in a cool dark place for a month.

I imagine you could also use whole cocoa beans for this as well. Looking at recipes from Infused Vodka.com and the Food Network, it looks like you only need 4 or 5 cocoa beans and you can infuse them for about a week. Seems easier than the cocoa powder method.

I have been observing as my mixmaster husband creates his infused liquors and I have to say, it doesn't look that hard to come up with your own combinations. Then it's just a matter of experimenting and monitoring to find the out when the flavor is right.

Comments

Jeremy said…
I wonder if using something like cheesecloth or a teabag would eliminate or reduce the need to strain . . .

I think tiny bottles of custom infused booze would be awesome holiday gifts; just don't take them on airplanes.

Cilantro vodka for bloody marys seems like a good idea. Or fig-infused vodka (or maybe gin) -- stuff where you like the taste fine but hate the consistancy.
KT said…
Jeremy: I think the cheesecloth would probably reduce the need for the strain, but it may also hinder the flavor from infusing? I think using the cocoa beans rather than cocoa powder would help.

French Toastie: Right now I think we're still finishing off our vanilla bourbon (makes a great Manhattan) but will let you know what the next experiment is. I would love for him to do either something herbal, like a lavender, or a honey infused would be yummy as well ...
Jeremy said…
vanilla bourbon? that sounds awesome. Screw the manhattan, pour me some over ice.
Anyanka said…
mmm, vanilla bourbon...

lavendar vodka...

Popular posts from this blog

RESTAURANT: Pinkberry

So I finally tried this famous (infamous?) yogurt shop that has begun the conquest of Los Angeles. The yogurt that is called "crackberry" by many. What the L.A. Times calls "the yogurt that launched a thousand parking tickets" due to the notoriously bad parking situation in its original location and its customers tendency to wait in lines for hours. It's the newest thing, taking the place of cupcakes, it seems. It's a rebirth of the frozen yogurt fad of the late '80s, but this time it's different. This yogurt is different. So, my lazy ass might be persuaded to go there, even though it's outside my 2 mile radius of things around my apartment. If it's really that good, I would go the extra .1 mile. But I would not go the extra .1 mile, AND have to go crazy trying to find parking AND then have to wait in life until my hairs turn grey. Nothing is that good. But now there's one I can walk to, and the line is not that long, so we decided to try...

LA.FOODBLOGGING: Groundworks Coffee

Our local foodblogging establishment, la.foodblogging , has seen fit to allow me to contribute. From now on most of my Los Angeles centered posts will be done there, and linked to from here, in order to avoid duplication. My first post is on my morningtime friend, Groundwork Coffee (as promised to Jeremy and my sweet Auntie). You can read it here: I'll Have the Works . Tags: LA.FOODBLOGGING

ABOUT THIS BLOG

I've been evaluating my blog and have realized that, while I have lots of nifty posts, I don't really have a good overall explanation of what exactly this blog is all about, and what one can expect to find here. So I'm creating this post and will link to it in the sidebar for anyone who's interested. I am not a professional chef. I have not been cooking for years. I am not an expert who is going to make beautiful and amazing and complicated dishes to "wow" you. I am, in fact, quite the opposite. I am a total beginner. I've always lived in places with miniscule kitchens and concerned myself with schoolwork and studying and working and not paid the least bit of attention to what I was eating every day. And that's what this blog is all about. It's about me learning where my food comes from, how to make it properly, and how to enjoy it to the utmost. It's no fun to learn by myself, so I started the blog to keep track of what I learn, kind of like a...