Chai-spiced vodka recipe
Cloves, vanilla, cardamom and an array of other spices all star in this fragrant vodka that's perfect for gifting this festive season
See method- Serves 4 x 250ml bottles
- 5 mins plus 1 week infusing
- 74 calories / serving
- Dairy-free
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 900ml vodka (from a 1ltr bottle)
- 150g caster sugar
- 8 cardamom pods, plus extra to gift
- 10 black peppercorns
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick, plus extra to gift
- 1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways
- 4cm piece ginger, thinly sliced
Each serving contains
- Energy
- 310kJ 74.0kcal
- Fat
- 0g
- Saturates
- 0g
- Salt
- 0.0g
- Sugars
- 4g
of the Reference intake
Carbohydrate 4.0gProtein 0.1gFibre 0.2g
Method
- Pour out 100ml vodka, keeping 900ml in the bottle, then use a funnel to pour the sugar into the bottle. Put on the lid and shake vigorously.
- Lightly crush the cardamom pods with a rolling pin or the side of a knife and add to the bottle with the remaining ingredients. Put the lid back on the bottle; leave in a dark place to infuse for 3 days, shaking daily to help dissolve the sugar.
- After 3 days, pour everything though a sieve into a jug, remove the ginger, then return the other spices to the bottle with the vodka. Leave for another 4 days in a dark place, shaking each day as before. 4 After a week the sugar should be dissolved and the vodka fragrant. Pour into a jug through a muslin- lined sieve to remove the spices; discard these. Decant the flavoured vodka back into its bottle to store until ready to give, or divide between smaller sterilised* gifting bottles. Add 3 extra cardamom pods (not crushed) and a cinnamon stick to each bottle just before gifting.
- Get ahead: Once the spices have been removed it will keep for at least a year, so make as early as you like.
- See more Christmas edible gift ideas
*To sterilise the bottles, wash with hot, soapy water and rinse. Dry in the oven for 25 mins at gas 1, 140°C, fan 120°C. Boil screw caps or rubber seals for 10 mins, then leave to dry.
