'Tis the season to be jolly...

Christmas is fast approaching. I know it's just the beginning of November, but the decorations are being put up in cities and the tree lighting ceremonies have already begun. (True story. Saw it on the news yesterday.)

I don't know how you guys celebrate the season. In my case it's some intense family time. Being as we are almost globally spread out, we have to make up for the fact that we can't just pop over to see each other during the rest of the year.
We have card games deep into the night. Fortunes are won and lost, as is honor. Good times.
What also become just as much a tradition is drinks before dinner.

A couple of years ago I discovered how easy it is to make your own flavored vodka. (I use vodka because it is relatively neutral in taste, but I guess you could use whatever you prefer.)
Christmas with all the evocative spices and tastes that go with it, is an especially fun time to play around with this. Plus you will have more people to enjoy the finished product with.

The preparation couldn't be simpler. In general you add your flavors to the bottle of booze then wait for three weeks while shaking the bottle a couple of times a week.

The fun part is creating your own blend of flavors. Just remember that the drier your aromatics the better. Spices are brilliant as are citrus peels. The problem with things that contain higher levels of moisture is that will at some point go bad.
Two years ago I made this orange and cranberry vodka that was absolutely beautiful.

(Sorry for the blurry picture.) I cooked a handful of cranberries with sugar before putting them in the liquor. The cranberries add color but the aroma came from the orange peel. At some point the cranberries were off and a weird gray/black color. (Note to self: It might work with roughly chopped dried cranberries...)

This year I am starting early with two flavors: Orange and Cinnamon&Star anise
These two both seem really wintry to me and don't pose a problem where spoilage is concerned.

Add the peel of an organic orange to your vodka of choice. Then wait and shake until the flavor develops. It really couldn't be easier.


Add two to three sticks of cinnamon and a star anise. Same procedure as with the other one. When I made this one last time I noticed after two weeks that the star anise was overpowering everything else, so I had to get it out. For this reason I am tying a thin kitchen twine to it this time, so the fishing part will be a lot easier. Within a few hours you will find the clear liquid beginning to turn a beautiful golden brown color.

This flavor is really nice mixed with hot or cold apple juice.

PS: My favorite non seasonal flavor is vanilla. Just add two or three split vanilla pods. Use this to make a divine mojito!