Sour Apple Martini

wow! im back after 4 weeks in thailand and im spinning in disbelief! but reinspired for the new year and food and blogging and gardening. it was getting tough to pull it together before i left. the weather had been well... you may already have guessed- rainy. theres been flooding and freezes and wind storms. the garden i have to say is in need of a lot of tlc and a good going over. the hens ransacked the rainbow chard and started on my flower bulb shoots, while i was away. so some chicken defense is in order for this spring.

thailand gave me loads of ideas for the kitchen and garden, i even snuck in a few seed packets!to try in the poly tunnel! while i was in thailand inever had one bad meal, which brings thai food into the top ranking spot for best world cuisine in my book! i mean, really, when were you last on holiday and all the food was perfect? never? most likely, unless you were in thailand.... so of course i'll be doing a few thai styled dishes for the blog, including: thai breakfsat soup, masamam curry, and pad thai.

im also delighted because the hens missed the purple sprouting broccolli, and its nearly ready for the table! i've had my first mini munch on a few tiny sprouts and i can hardly wait! there's one celriac left which ive got eyes on for a winter salad, and really thats it! there are quite a few beetroots left so im going to put my pickler cap on and get busy.

this recipe i started before i left the country last month. for some reason the image upload for blogger wasnt working,  which meant i had to cut it short and jet. but you can imagine me drinking these around new years and testing the recipe with friends and after thorough research (and a few fuzzy heads) we came up with a final mix to my Sour Apple Martini's. If you have been reading along before, I first started my batch of Sour Apple Vodka in November, after 7 weeks of marinating the end result was reached! Its super delicious and syrupy, perfect for this highly drinkable and dangerously potent cocktail. You will be able to downgrade to apple cider once you've enjoyed one or two Appletinis, the recipe only calls for a small amount, so you will have leftovers to finish!

if you are going to make your own sour apple vodka, click here. i recomend doubling the batch! its too good. have fun!!

Homemade Sour Apple Vodka

im to the point of being obsessed with infused spirits, last year it was foraged blackberries and a spiced quince vodka. this year im trying out my own sour apple vodka for Sour Apple Martini's, click here for the recipe. homemade infused spirits are simple to make, time and aggitation (a good shake) are the key - my quince vodka from last year hasn't stopped improving since it was ready for consumption. 6 weeks seems to be the consensus for good flavour when infusing spirits, but a month is perfectly alright.
this year's theme is 'apples,' our cupboards are filled with a mass of infusing spirits. we've got damsons stewing away alongside, apple and cinnamon, plain apples, apple and clove and of course this Sour Apple Vodka.

 

a few more ideas on my infusing to-do list are: black pepper vodka for bloody mary's, cucumber gin for gin and tonics, pear brandy for well - pear brandy, rosemary vodka for a winter martini, mint whiskey for mint juleps.... its endless: ginger, pineapple, elderflower, horseradish, pumpkin, spices, herbs, fruit, leaves, brownbread (?), cardboard (?) - why not? ok, maybe those last two were a bit adventurous.

the idea is: any spirit can be infused and anything can be used to infuse it. homemade spirits are a great gift too, and are sure to be consumed and disappear. solving that age old dilema, what can i get that person that won't just sit on a shelf collecting dust? infused homemade booze is as good as it gets.