Infusing your booze with vegetables from your garden

Gardens are in full bloom right now, and you're probably wondering what to cook with all your veggies (or who to give them away to). Why not add them to your booze? 

Laura Shortt joined us on The Nine from Valentine Distilling Company to show us how to infuse your own vodka. 

She says infusing your own vodka is really easy to do. It's as simple as adding the veggies to the alcohol of choice that works in your recipe. You can hear more from her in the video player above get some recipes below as well. 

Infusions:
Cucumber Vodka Infusion
1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced
375 ml Valentine vodka

Add cucumber slices and vodka to small mason jar with lid.  Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours or to taste.  Strain cucumbers from vodka.

Pepper Vodka Infusion
1/2 sweet bell pepper, deseeded and sliced
1/2 jalapeno, deseesed and sliced
375 ml Valentine vodka

Add pepper slices to small mason jar with lid.  Let sit at room temperature for up to 24 hours or to taste.  Strain peppers from vodka.

Strawberry Gin Infusion
1 cup strawberries, de-stemmed and cut in half.
375 ml Liberator Gin

Add strawberries and gin to small mason jar with lid.  Let sit at room temperature for 5-7 days.  Strain fruit from gin.

Fresh from the garden infusion cocktails:

Cucumber Chill
1.5 oz Cucumber infused valentine vodka
.5 oz fresh lime juice
.5 oz simple syrup 
3 mint leaves
3 oz soda

Combine cucumber infused vodka, lime juice and simple syrup into shaking tin or jar.  Muddle mint leaves into cocktail.  Add ice and shake.  Strain cocktail over fresh ice into tall glass and top with soda.

To make simple syrup, use a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water.  Heat over stovetop until sugar dissolves.

Rosemary's Corner
1.5 oz pepper vodka infusion
1.5 oz fresh grapefruit juice
2 sprigs rosemary
2 teaspoons of honey

Combine pepper infused vodka, grapefruit juice and honey into shaking tin or jar.  Muddle rosemary sprigs and honey into cocktail.  Add ice and shake.  Strain cocktail into martini or coupe glass.  

Strawberry Basil Lemonade
1.5 oz Strawberry infused liberator gin
.75 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
5 basil leaves
2 oz soda

Combine strawberry infused gin, lemon juice and simple syrup into shaking tin or jar.  Muddle basil leaves into cocktail.  Add ice and shake.  Strain cocktail over fresh ice into tall glass and top with soda.