Alright, so the other day I got this idea stuck in my head about making some peppermint twist vodka. Saw something similar somewhere, maybe online, maybe a friend mentioned it, can’t quite recall. Anyway, with the holidays just gone, I still had a bunch of candy canes lying around, you know the red and white striped ones. Seemed like a waste to just let them sit there. So, I figured, why not give it a go?
First thing, I needed the basics. Grabbed a decent bottle of vodka – nothing too fancy, but not the cheapest stuff either. You want something smooth enough that it doesn’t fight the peppermint too much. Then, of course, the candy canes. I had about ten of those regular-sized ones. And I needed a jar, something big enough to hold the vodka and candy, with a tight lid. Found an old glass pickle jar that I cleaned out real good. Perfect.
Getting Down to Business
Okay, prepping the candy canes was the next step. I thought about just dropping them in whole, but figured they’d dissolve faster and infuse better if they were broken up. So, I unwrapped them – that sticky plastic wrap is always a pain – put them in a sturdy ziplock bag, sealed it, and gave them a few good whacks with a rolling pin. Didn’t pulverize them into dust, just broke them into smaller chunks. It made a bit of a racket, but got the job done.
Then, I carefully poured the crushed candy cane bits into the clean jar. Some smaller bits and dust went in too, which I figured was fine. Next, I poured the vodka over the candy. Filled it up enough to cover the candy well, leaving a little headspace at the top. Screwed the lid on tight. Gave it a good shake right then and there to get things mixing.
The Waiting Game and Finishing Up
Now came the waiting part. I put the jar somewhere cool and dark, like the back of the pantry. The recipe I sort of remembered said a few days, maybe up to a week. I decided to check it daily. Each day, I’d give the jar a good shake. It was kinda cool watching the vodka turn pinker and pinker as the candy dissolved. After about three days, most of the candy seemed dissolved, just some sugary sludge at the bottom. The vodka itself looked bright pink and smelled strongly of peppermint.
I figured three days was enough. Time to strain it. This part can get messy if you’re not careful. I put a fine-mesh sieve over a clean bowl first, poured the vodka through it to catch the bigger undissolved bits. But there was still fine sugary stuff left. So, I lined the sieve with a couple of layers of cheesecloth – a coffee filter works too, just slower – and strained it again. Took a little patience, letting it drip through. This got it much clearer.
Finally, I used a funnel to pour the finished peppermint vodka into a clean bottle. Found an empty decorative bottle I had saved, washed it out, and used that. Looked pretty festive, I have to say.
So, how did it turn out? Pretty darn good! The peppermint flavor was strong, sweet but not sickly sweet, with that nice vodka kick. I first tried it just chilled, straight up. Very potent, very minty. Then I mixed some with soda water and a squeeze of lime, which was really refreshing. It would probably be great in hot chocolate too.
Overall, it was a simple enough process. Just needed some vodka, leftover candy canes, a jar, and a bit of patience. Crushing the candy seemed like the right move. Straining it twice was definitely necessary to get it clear. Glad I gave it a shot – nice little homemade treat to have on hand.
