a lovely little infusion I shared with my friends

Well another year has drawn to a close and tonight is the night we all must raise a glass and toast the coming of 2012.

I hope that the glass you are raising has something in it that came out of your garden!

There has been an infusion craze going on! Over the past couple of years, I’ve not only been eating out of my garden, I’ve been drinking out of it. I use my lemons, lemongrass, strawberries, tomatoes, marjoram, basil, melons, peppers, and much more as a flavor enhancement to all manner of spirits, and the results are delightful and delicious!

And SOOO easy to do! Just think of the flavors you want in your drink, put those fruits, vegetables, herbs, or spices (sometimes all of the above) into a mason jar and pour some vodka (or bourbon, or tequila, or rum, or gin) in. Let it rest, “cooking”, and in a week or two you’ll have a kick ass potion of your own creation. Be an ALCHEMIST! EXPERIMENT! And taste it often, because some flavors can infuse quickly and may overpower your liquor of choice.

This is really a game. It’s fun. And the drinks you can make with your infusions are endless. Be your own bartender for 2012 – it is the Year of The Dragon, so we are all going to need a cocktail every now and again! There is a FABULOUS blog, Dirt & Martinis, that all of us who enjoy … well, dirt and martinis MUST read!

Gardens are such lovely places to throw cocktail parties. The days are getting longer, we are thinking about our gardens and what food we want to grow – let’s think about things we can DRINK, too! As soon as spring rolls around you should be swimming in ideas of the homemade infusions you can make! Get ready for a bash in your garden!Serving your guests drinks that have been kissed by your garden in the ultimate. And there is really no reason to wait to grow it yourself – support your local Farmers Markets and get some bounty there! A lovely winter infusion is Bourbon with Clove-studded Oranges. Serve it on the rock, or make a toddy by heating it up with unfiltered apple juice – YUM!!!

This is my New Year’s Gift to you, my dear readers – I give you more reasons to drink in the 2012. And if you make it, you must drink!

XOXO, Your Germinatrix