Flavoring vodka is a popular tradition almost as old as the beverage itself. As a neutral spirit, the list of potential fusions is countless. Common flavors range from fruits to herbs to spices. Our cherry flavored vodka is only one of the many popular flavor combinations that exist with vodka. The endless fusion possibilities encourage exploration.

To experiment with your own flavors, follow these instructions:

1. Pick a good-quality vodka to ensure a good base such as Grand Traverse Distillery’s True North Vodka™.

2. Select ingredients to generate the flavor sensation you are hoping to capture. Choose a combination of fresh fruit, spices and herbs.

3. Use a clean, fully sealable glass bottle large enough to contain the vodka and fruit. The bottle must be clean and have a tight seal. The size and nature of the ingredients being infused will dictate the size of the container needed. You can also use the original vodka bottle itself if the ingredients are small enough to fit (i.e. pepper, cinnamon sticks).

4. Insert cut-up pieces of the ingredient (fruit, etc.) into the glass bottle.

5. Add secondary flavors (spices, etc.) if desired.

6. Reseal the bottle of glass container.  Plan to “steep” the bottle between two days to one week for most ingredients.  Stir occasionally.  The timelines are different for every ingredient and depend on how much of the taste transfer you hope to achieve.  Be cautious of spices or strong ingredients as a prolonged steeping period could leave you with too much flavor.  Sample your infusions along the way to determine when to remove ingredients.

7. After you have removed the flavoring ingredients, the bottle should be sealed and stored in the fridge or freezer.  Depending on the ingredients you may need to use a strainer to properly remove the entire ingredients.  For fine particles cheesecloth does a nice job.

Chocolate Infused Vodka

750ml of True North Vodka™
Approximately ¼ cup of chocolate nubs, we use Theo chocolate which are organic cocoa beans. Go to chocosphere.com or 877-992-4626.

Infuse at least 2 to 3 days and up to one week, will get bitter tasting if left too long.

Strain through cheese cloth or coffee filter to remove all fine particles. Add simple syrup to taste and store in original vodka bottle in refrigerator. Great in a chocolate martini.

To make simple syrup use one cup of water and one cup of sugar. Heat water and add sugar until fully dissolved. Store unused portion in refrigerator.

Cranberry Vodka

750ml bottle of True North Vodka™
2 cups of frozen cranberries
A couple slices of orange

Let steep three day to one week. Beautiful color and flavor will come through. Add simple syrup to taste and return to original vodka bottle. Store in refrigerator.

This cranberry vodka can be used to make a great cosmopolitan. Just use the cranberry vodka in place of the vodka and cranberry portions.

Lemmon Drop Infusion

750ml True North Vodka™
Slice three to four lemons, Meyer lemons preferred if available.
Slice one lime.

Remove the seeds if possible; they can produce a bitter flavor. Let steep four days to a week. Add simple syrup to taste and transfer to vodka bottle. Store in refrigerator.

Makes a wonderful lemon drop martini.

To make simple syrup use one cup of water and one cup of sugar. Heat water and add sugar until fully dissolved. Store unused portion in refrigerator.

Please send us your favorite infusions and we will add them to this site for others to enjoy.