Speaking of including drinks here, I just started some liquor infusions I’m excited about. I’ve only ever done infusions for either scented oil or for vinegar to use in salad dressing, but I’ve been wanting to make home made bitters for a while. I don’t have a recipe yet, but decided to start simple. 3 mixes:
Bitters - just straight up 2 T of dried gentian root in 1/2 pint jar of everclear. I figured I could tweak it or make other infusions and blend them later.
Pepper - about 2 T of peppercorns in 1/2 pint everclear. Spicy bloody Mary’s, here we come!
Chai - need to check the ratios, but I put cardamom pods, fennel seed, a cinnamon stick and some candied ginger in a pint of everclear. I’m hoping it’s flavorful enough that I can make a boozy iced chai by making earl grey tea, chilling it, then adding some of this and some milk.
I plan to shake them each day then test in a month. Unless someone knows better.
I’ll keep you posted. Wish me luck!
Worth a try.
Great!
I want to edit the title and add ‘Drink’.
First I need to be assured if by doing that I do not loose any previous posts.
Checking that out.
Happy Mutants Food and Drink Topic.
Change is Good.
Cheers!
Starting to look for Grandma O’Melveny’s Irish Soda Bread recipe.
Also the origins of soda bread and found this:
Those sound delicious!
I make a hazelnut extract in a similar fashion, just ground hazelnut in a jar with Everclear. It’s for hazelnut mead. A few ounces per gallon of mead and it’s just right.
Okay, a good Soda Bread recipe here. ( still looking for Grandma’s that I think has molasses in it. )
Mmmmm, is it at all reminiscent of Nutella? That’s my main culinary exposure to hazelnuts.
Look at the huevos on that guy!
Should be good now.
Wow!
Thank you so much.
I could not figure out to do it.
How do you do it?
Happy Camper,
Cheers!
I’ve tried a pepper one using a few whole dried chinese chili peppers. Great in bloody marys and dirty vodka martinis
Oooh, we just found big old bags of a bunch of varieties of dried whole peppers we don’t usually find around here…looks like I’m going to need more everclear!
Also got some dried mushrooms and now I’m wondering if anyone’s tried that. I mean, of course someone has, but anyone here? I’m thinking it could lend a nice earthiness to some kind of rye or scotch drink…or maybe a Sake cocktail? Off to investigate.
A big Saturday night, hence the vegetarian hangover response kit. Contains falafel, saganaki, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber and some of dad’s high-fat tzatziki.
Strange, I did hit it but nothing happen. I started this topic and I thought I was Amin on it.
Ah, perhaps not from my iPhone.
Anyway, thanks again. 
No. No chocolate. 
Feel like we do this yearly. That looks nice, but doesn’t look much like the soda bread I was raised with. And it certainly shouldn’t have molasses in it.
Stella Park’s recipe is the best American printed recipe I’ve found.
You want to use a lower protein AP flour or pastry flour. Or just use Irish four, tends to be around 10% protein. In a pinch 2:1 King Arthur AP to cake flour seems to work. Regular US AP has too much protein in it.
For proper brown bread Irish whole meal can be used. With usual (Around 14% protein) American whole wheat a 2:1 with cake flour is absolutely necessary, a table spoon of wheat germ and a table spoon of wheat bran to get the texture and flavor right.
With real Irish whole meal you just follow the same and use the brown flour. We always use Odlums.
But I’ve posted my various recipes deep up thread.
Earlier today an Austrian baker tried to sell mom on his soda bread. Saying he’s famous for it. She explained we make it at home. And that didn’t like soda bread.
I know the guy and like the bakery. His soda break is only “famous” among Italian Americans. Might as well be cake. Dense and sweet. Basically pound cake with raisins in it. I heard a rumor he uses a Panetone recipe.
And for good measure Grandma’s preferred brown bread recipe, from an old Hibernian society cook book. Works well with American flour.
I’d be afraid that the alcohol would curdle the milk? Maybe the tea is enough to dilute it, though
Good point. Maybe I’ll try oat milk or coconut milk.
