As part of my ongoing study of the cucumber, I turned to the art of makin' hooch. This didn't involve setting up a still, but rather the infinitely easier—and lawful—method of infusing vodka. I have enjoyed infused vodka at bars (it's big with Russians) and it's an idea I have fallen for, quite literally on some nights. Citrus fruits, herbs, and other strong flavors marry well with neutral vodka, but I was curious to see how the subtle flavors of the cucumber would stand up to this treatment.
After running a large canning jar through the dishwasher—but meanwhile wondering what germs would survive a vodka bath—I poured into it the contents of a 750 ml bottle of vodka. (Let me digress here and state that I do not believe the hype when it comes to choosing vodka. "Lifestyle" vodkas don't impress me, and convincing people to believe in, and pay dearly for, the alleged superiority of expensive brands of what is basically tasteless and colorless has been a triumph of marketing. I am in good company in preferring Smirnoff.) I removed from 2 standard-issue cucumbers the peel and the seeds, which I believed would embitter the mix. I then cut the cukes into chunks, dunked them into the vodka, sealed the lid, gave the jar a good shake, and left the mixture to steep.
By the end of ten days or so, the delicate green of the cukes transferred entirely to the embalming fluid, and the cucumber chunks were ghostly pale at the end of their bath. I reserved these chunks, but am struggling to think of a way to use them. As was intended, virtually all of the flavor has seeped out and been replaced by pure alcohol, so they're basically shots. Hmm, toxic tzatziki? Ruinous raita?
After removing the chunks, I strained the vodka through a coffee filter and put the transformed vodka back into the bottle I had reserved.
Cucumber vodka is quite nice, it turns out. There are distinctive notes of melon, which is not implausible, considering that the cucumber could very well be a melon, if it were sweeter and grew a thicker skin. On this holiday weekend, I will use cucumber vodka for cocktails fanciful and austere; I bet it will make a killer martini. I'll report back what I can remember...
Happy Easter, Happy Passover, and enjoy the weekend!
Hi Dan,
Yay, cucumbers and vodka, and spring/summer is coming right up! I'm going to do it this season, and have a cucumber-based happy hour (you'll get your own special invite, I promise). I baked cucumbers this past week and they were so good, I think I actually like them better without the (delicious and hedonistic) sauce. I am researching ice cream makers because I want to make, among other things, cucumber sorbet. love, Sarah Jane
Posted by: Sarah Jane | April 08, 2007 at 09:23 AM