2 Infused Wines for the Holidays (Pear Lavender and Grapefruit Vanilla)….but you should make them now because they are slow.

If you have been reading this blog lately, you are aware that I have been gathering with some of my female friends pretty often for an Oven Coven. So far, it hasn’t actually involved the oven. It’s mostly involved us infusing alcohol with delicious flavors, while drinking the alcohol that we concocted the last time we got together. We’ve also made preserved lemons, lounged in gardens, tried on ball gowns and ordered bulk amounts of nuts to divvy up like thrifty, witchy squirrels.

In the spring, I offered our recipe for Rose Potion with Stone Fruit, Cardamom and Pink Peppercorns. That one only takes a week to become delicious and then quickly looses it’s lustre. The two that I’m about to tell you about require, and benefit from, more time. That is why I’m talking about holiday cocktails when the temperature was (weirdly) in the 80s just last week. I know. It’s early to think about the holidays and what cocktail you might want then. However, this project will require just a wee bit of effort now and will result in much future winter cheer.

We made Pear Lavender Fortified Wine last December and foolishly drank most of it within a month or two. It was good after a month, but the one jar that was found in the back of a closet in May was divine! Pears are good right now and if you make this soon your early new year will be well stocked.

PEAR LAVENDER FORTIFIED WINE

To fill one 2 quart mason jar

2 pears, peeled, cored and quartered
1/4 of a lemon
1 sprig of lavender
1 and 1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup sugar
enough white wine to fill a 2 quart jar

Mix it all together in a jar with a tight seal and put it somewhere cool and dark for a few months. It was excellent after 5 months, but 3 might be enough?

This Grapefruit Vanilla Infused Wine is a little less fussy. It tastes great within a few weeks and seems to continue to taste great for months (if it lasts that long). Some of the batches that we made got quite fizzy, which made me a bit nervous! I keep the fizzy ones in the fridge to calm that magic down a bit.

GRAPEFRUIT, VANILLA, PINK PEPPERCORN WINE

To fill one 2 quart mason jar

2 grapefruits
1 lemon
1 vanilla bean
a pinch of pink peppercorns
1 and 1/2 cup vodka
1/2 cup sugar
enough white wine to fill a 2 quart jar

Mix it all together in a jar with a tight seal and put it somewhere cool and dark. If it starts to get fizzy, keep it in the fridge. This one tastes good after a just few weeks and continues to be excellent for a few months.

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