GARLIC MARTINI & GARLIC INFUSED VODKA RECIPES

I have been wanting to create my own recipe for a Garlic Martini for a while. I wanted to start with garlic flavored vodka and decided to make my own so I could control the level of garlic flavor. I wanted something mild and smooth with just a hint of garlic (instead of something that could kill a vampire.)

Both recipes are below.

The

GARLIC MARTINI

INGREDIENTS 

2 Oz. Garlic Infused Vodka

(Recipe below)

1 Tsp. Dry Vermouth

1 Tsp. Garlic Stuffed Olive Brine

Garnish: Garlic stuffed olives, sprig of rosemary; Salt, garlic powder and dried rosemary rim

Tools: Cocktail shaker

Glass: Cocktail (Martini)

DIRECTIONS

To rim glass: Mix a tablespoon of sea salt with a pinch of garlic powder and a pinch of dried rosemary. Dip the rim in some olive brine then into the seasoned salt mixture.

Chill rimmed glass in freezer.

Shake ingredients in an ice filled cocktail shaker.

Strain into the chilled glass, garnish with three garlic stuffed olives and a fresh sprig of rosemary.

Little tip: No matter what, don't leave out the garlic stuffed olives. If you love garlic they're a treat you don't want to miss.

HOMEMADE GARLIC VODKA
Take an entire bulb of fresh garlic, peel and  gently crush each clove to release their flavor. Drop the crushed garlic directly into a 750ml bottle of decent vodka then recap the bottle. Allow this to sit in a dark, cool location for a minimum of two days. Shake the bottle every day. Remember, the more garlic you use and the longer you allow it to infuse the stronger the garlic flavor will become. (I only let mine sit for the two days as I wanted a more subtle flavor.) Test it every day or so to reach the flavor intensity you desire. When the vodka has reached the flavor level you like, strain it through several layers of cheesecloth to remove the solids. Letting this sit for a week up to a month will allow the Vodka flavor to intensify a bit as well as mellow.
Updated 4-2018 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN FLAVORED VODKAS

Updated November 2015  

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN
FLAVORED VODKAS

You can infuse a variety of flavors into vodka - fresh and dried fruits, vegetables and berries, herbs and spices, vanilla beans, coffee or espresso beans, peppers and even garlic cloves can all be used to give your vodka a new flavor profile. There are even rose, bacon and candy flavored vodkas out there!

The key to creating the best home-made flavored vodka is quality. Fresh ingredients, the highest quality dried ingredients or spices/herbs, and a good quality vodka. You don't have to buy the most expensive designer vodkas, a medium quality vodka will do - but don't get cheapo and buy the discount brands. Don't used canned or frozen fruits or vegetables either.

If you're using fruits you will want to slice them (berries remain whole) to allow more of the fruit flavor to infuse into the vodka. Remove any seeds or pits or rinds. 

The same concept applies to peppercorns and herbs, garlic, coffee beans, or whatever flavor profile you're going for. Smashing these up a bit releases the oils which are where most of the taste resides.

Be sure to wash your fruits, remove stems from herbs and any leaves from berries or peppers before you place them in the vodka. I often put my flavorings into cheesecloth bags. Since I like to use the original vodka bottle for my container (for gifts I get some fun decorative bottles) - I make these bags small enough to fit into the bottle opening. In the case of larger elements like fruit slices I forgo the cheesecloth bags but when my vodka has reached the flavor peak I'm going for I will pour it through a fine strainer and/or cheesecloth or even a coffee filter to remove any solids then pour it back into the bottle.

When infusing with herbs, most can simply be gently placed in the vodka and their flavor will infuse over time. If you want to speed up the process, you can chop or lightly mash the herbs, but be gentle, you don't want to release bitterness of the herbs.

The main thing to remember is the more of the flavoring element you use and the longer you let it infuse in the vodka, the stronger the flavor will be. I generally start checking the taste after 2 days and 2 weeks is the usually longest I let them distill though for certain items, like vanilla beans, I've let them work longer. Just be careful not to let certain flavorings (coffee, some herbs, etcetera) start bringing bitterness to the party. This is where daily taste tests help.

Once you have added your flavor enhancers, seal the bottle up and leave the container in a dark, cool place. Shake it once a day, if possible. When your vodka has reached the flavor level you want you will want to strain it (even if you did use cheesecloth bags) to remove all the solids. You can then pour it back into the container you want to store it in. After you strain the vodka you can let it age for a few more weeks, this sometimes allows the flavors to continue to enhance the vodka, many flavors get richer and more mellow in the second aging.

If you're using dried fruits you can use the actual fruits separately for other purposes, like topping ice cream, pound cakes or as a sauce for savory or sweet dishes. I make Drunken Cherries a lot - I love eating the cherries straight out of the bottle - and I get the cherry flavored vodka at the same time. The one thing I will tell you - I prefer the dried fruits after only a day or two of infusion. If left longer they get overwhelmed by the alcohol flavor of the vodka and aren't as pleasant to eat - but the vodka gets a deeper flavoring.

Here's my recipe for bacon flavored vodka - no, I'm not kidding and I'm going to try this one myself! Wow, pig and booze - how can you beat that combo? Be still my heart has a whole new meaning now.

You can use candies as well as fruits, nuts, vegetables, Skittles and Jolly Rancher infused vodka was a big thing some years ago. Not my cup of tea (and speaking of tea - it makes delightfully subtle flavored vodka), but they are easy, all you do is drop the candy into the vodka, shake every so often and wait until the candy pretty much dissolves.

Experiment and have some fun. Think of flavor profiles you like when you eat or cook. Because vodka is (or was traditionally) a potato based alcohol it does not carry a strong flavor of it's own which makes it ideal for flavor infusing. Other liquors have been flavored too, such as rums, brandies, whiskeys and wines but you will have to watch that the flavoring element does not clash with their unique tastes.

Can you infuse other liquors? You betcha! Check out my yummy Toasted Walnut Maple Bourbon. You just have to be more discriminating in your flavoring elements because most liquors other than vodka bring a lot of their own flavor to the party.

Use your flavored vodkas as gifts or just hoard them to drink yourself - either way you will have discovered a whole new world of cocktail creation and your Happy Hour will have some extra happy in it!

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

CHERRY KISS MARTINI - Cherry Vodka, Kircsh Art

Just for fun I decided to do a little pencil sketch of my latest martini recipe. The Cherry Kiss Martini is a direct result of finding a bottle of Kirsch in my cupboard, a bottle I never think of unless I'm planning on doing a classic fondue which calls for Kirsch!

Kirsch is a German liqueur originally called Kirschwasser which means "cherry water" in German. Kirsch is traditionally made by double distilling Morello cherries and has the deep, tart flavor of those dark cherries. I thought it would make a really interesting martini when paired with my favorite cherry vodka from Three Olives. I also added a splash of soda - I like to cut the pure alcohol and thin the syrupy consistency, also the soda also adds a little effervescence. If you prefer you can leave the soda out.

The White Russian - NOT A MARTINI? OMG!

Yes, occasionally The Martini Diva does drink something other than a martini! I like a nice cold beer in the summer (preferably a Bohemia), I enjoy a nice margarita (especially fruit flavored ones), and I love champagne (Dom is my fav) though it usually bites me in the butt the next morning because I like it too much!

But I see no reason why many of these can't be enjoyed in a martini glass. Not all, just some - a beer for me is best enjoyed right out of the icy cold bottle and champagne should only be drunk in a crystal champagne flute. I confess, I'm kind of a glass snob, okay?

So with that being said I thought that occasionally I would share some of my favorite cocktail recipes with you - Martini Diva style of course - designed specifically to serve in a martini glass.

Today it's a White Russian. I favored these during my trips to Las Vegas because the caffeine kept me awake and they tasted like coffee milkshakes.

The basic recipe for the White Russian consists of equal parts of all three ingredients, a ratio of 1:1:1 or, in other words, one ounce each of the Kahlua, Vodka and Cream. That's it - pure and simple. You can either shake these up with some ice in a martini shaker and serve "up" in your martini glass or be classic and pour over ice in an old fashioned glass. You know me, mine will go in a martini glass and I'll shave some nice dark chocolate on top as a garnish.

Though some people use Tia Maria instead of the Kahlua, I prefer the Kahlua as it has a much more intense chocolate coffee flavor and the liqueur is thicker which helps if milk is used instead of cream as it often was when casinos served free drinks, lol.

There is also a version of the drink without the cream called a Black Russian and a Tall Black Russian which is the Black Russian in a taller glass then topped off with cola. Both the White and Black Russians are official drinks of the International Bartenders Association.

A little trivia for those of you who happen to enjoy this drink:

• White Russians are the favored beverage of The Dude in The Big Lebowski, where he sometimes refers to the drink as a Caucasian
• There was an anti-Bolshevik group from the Russian Civil War known as The White Russians
• There is also a genus of the cannabis plant called a White Russian - who knew?

Now head on over to my art blog - LIFE IS LIKE ART - and take a gander at what I've been up to with my crayons and paper!

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If you have a Martini question, please feel free to ask me in a comment and I'll respond back here in the comments section or in a new post!
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY & DRIVE RESPONSIBLY!

The MARTINI ART of POP ART DIVA
Appetizer recipes to go with your martinis at The Diva of Tiny Foods!
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OSCAR PARTY MARTINIS - Oscar Fans Martini

Overture, curtains, lights,
This is it, the night of nights
No more rehearsing and nursing a part
We know every part by heart
Overture, curtains, lights
This is it, you'll hit the heights
And oh what heights we'll hit
On with the show this is it
Tonight what heights we'll hit
On with the show this is it!

The Oscar Fans Martini has everything you need to feel like a celebrity yourself while you watch all the stars cross the Red Carpet to the ceremony. There's chocolate to raise up your endorphins, caffeine to keep you awake during the long speeches, some champagne to celebrate your favorite winners and a bit of bling to give your night that Hollywood panache!

Get more of my signature
OSCAR COCKTAILS HERE

OSCAR PARTY MARTINIS - The Red Carpet Martini

Get more of my
OSCAR COCKTAILS HERE

Ah, tequila and fruits - sounds like a Hollywood style cocktail to me! Seriously, The Red Carpet Martini is really perfect if you favor tequila over vodka or gin. The edible metallic flakes add the necessary bling for the Red Carpet!

Just make sure you're using edible metallic flakes, you can find them online or at gourmet food stores. Then grab a comfy couch, plop yourself down with your Red Carpet Martinis and enjoy the show.

OSCAR PARTY MARTINIS - The Hollywood Martini

Get more of my

OSCAR COCKTAILS HERE

Like classic black and white movies that have been colorized, The Hollywood Martini is a classic martini that has been flavorized! A little orange flavored liqueur adds bit of LaLaLand Sun and a splash of champagne adds the bling. The garnish of real gold is a nod to the famous Oscar statue!

Serve up with some Oscar night snacks being posted this week at The Diva of Tiny Foods and have fun watching the ever so gorgeous Hugh Jackman host this year.

By the way, did you know that Hugh Jackman's son is named OSCAR?

Click here for more info on the 81st Annual Academy Awards!