It's time for our second seasonal vodka infusion as our 6 year old has organized her three pounds of Halloween candy by color, and our carved pumpkins have been devoured by veracious neighborhood squirrels. We were able to save a few of our backyard sugar pie pumpkins from the furry menaces, and thought why not make a pumpkin spice vodka after a visit to our local liquor store and being overwhelmed with the number of pumpkin beers in the cases.

Fixings: preheat oven 400 degrees

• 2 c sugar pie pumpkin cleaned and diced into 2 inch cubes
• 1/4 c Brown sugar
• 4 Cloves (cracked with a mallet)
• 3 Cinnamon sticks
• 11/2 Nutmeg (cracked with a mallet)
• 3 All Spice (cracked with a mallet)
• 2 vanilla beans (split and scraped) include whole bean in infusion
• 1 ¾ c Vodka

Directions:

• 1. Wash canning jars and lids in hot, soapy water or run through the dishwasher.
• 2. Place pumpkin pieces in roasting pan, and sprinkle with brown sugar. Roast pumpkin in preheated oven 20 minuets, or until tender. Allow pumpkin pieces to cool completely.
• 3. Place All infusing ingredients in canning jar.
• 4. Fill with vodka cover with lid and shake a few times.
• 7. Store in a cool, dark place and shake 3-5 times a day.​ After the 2-3 weeks of infusing, line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Strain pumpkin vodka mixture into the bowl, removing the cheesecloth to squeeze out excess liquid. Discard pumpkin and spices. Line the mesh strainer with another piece of cheesecloth and strain vodka through it to remove any remaining sediment.
• Funnel mixture into an airtight bottle. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

See the Colluding Comrade blog for drink recipe.

​Please drink responsibly.

Pumpkin Infused Vodka & White Russian

Fixings:
2 cups Pumpkin Infused Vodka (see pumpkin spiced vodka infusion blog)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp Instant coffee (we used what we had on hand Starbuck’s VIA instant white mocha)
11/2 cup Heavy Cream

Directions:
Add pumpkin vodka infusion, condensed milk, and instant coffee to blender. Blend until fully mixed, then pour into clean mixing bowl. Whisk in heavy cream. Funnel your delicious Colluding Comrade into an airtight bottle. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Good for up to one month.

Serve over ice with a fresh dusting of nutmeg, or cinnamon stick.

​Please drink responsibly.
​

Welcome to Black Cherry Distillery's first ever blog! We are in the infancy of starting a distillery business, one we hope will feature Whiskey, Rum and Vodka. Starting up a distillery is expensive so we plan to introduce two vodka brands into Colorado to help us generate an income revenue to buy our stills and open our tasting room. Because we will feature vodka infusions and liqueurs, we invite you to join us as we experiment and choose winning infusions to star in our future distillery.

Today, we are infusing vodka with persimmon fruit. The word persimmon comes from the Algonquin language meaning "dry fruit." The fruit becomes ripe in the fall and beginning of winter and has a sweetness reminiscent of a cross between a pear and an apple. When in season the persimmon is a prized fruit in many parts of the world. In Japan, persimmons are considered to be the country’s national fruit and is known as Fuyu or Fuyugaki. In the United States persimmons of the Diospyros virginiana variety were introduced to the colonists by Native Americans who taught the colonists how to use the fruit to make puddings and bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe persimmon, cut in 8 slices
• 2 T sliced ginger
• 2 vanilla beans
• 1 ¾ c Vodka

Directions:

• 1. Wash 1-pint canning jars and lids in hot, soapy water or run through the dishwasher.
• 2. Place cleaned and prepared infusing ingredients in the jar.
• 3. Fill with vodka.
• 4. Cover with lid and shake a few times.
• 5. Store in a cool, dark place and shake a few times a day.
• 6. Day 4, taste your infusion to see if it has reached your desired flavor. If you want more flavor continue infusing/shaking a few time each day until you like the way it tastes. Be careful not to leave infusion too long resulting in bitter or off flavors.
• 7. Once your palate is happy, pour the infusion through a coffee filter or strainer to filter the infusing ingredients. Pour into the final container of your choice. I put mine back in the mason jar.
• 8. Store as you would any other liquor.​