Strawberry tinctures on vodka at home – 3 recipes

It is customary for us to separate strawberries and strawberries according to their “culture”: everything that grows on the beds in the garden is strawberries, and in a clearing in the forest – strawberries. From the point of view of botany, this is a fundamentally incorrect wording, because all the variety of strawberries belongs to one genus of perennial plants, strawberries (lat. Fragaria). But, in part, it is correct that wild strawberries were separated from cultivated “strawberries”, because they have a much more pronounced and unique flavor that could only arise in the wild. So it turns out that the berry seems to be one, but the drinks are different.

Yes, with this strawberry there is still confusion, the devil himself will break his leg. It seems like there is such a genus, strawberries, the species of which, according to various scientists, are from 80 to 200, and maybe even more, that is, not to count. There is a strawberry, which is quite correct to call a strawberry (because our ancestors called a “ball” a club): spherical berries of green strawberries (lat. Fragária víridis, it is real strawberries, steppe strawberries, midnight, hilly strawberries, etc.) or berries musky strawberries (lat. Fragária moscháta, she is also a high strawberry / strawberry, shpanka, etc.). There are strawberries, which are mistakenly called strawberries, for example, pineapple strawberries grown exclusively in garden beds (lat. Fragária ananássa, it is also garden strawberries). There is also a zemklunika, a hybrid of pineapple strawberry and garden strawberry (the same musky strawberry), but we will not climb into these jungles.

And finally, there is strawberry, which will become the object of study in this material. This is the same “wild” strawberry (for example, Fragaria vésca, it is also wild strawberry, common strawberry, etc.) growing in forest glades and meadows. Its small and often unsightly berries have such a taste and aroma that strawberries from the beds can only dream of. In drinks, it reveals itself subtly, sometimes imperceptibly from the first sip, but always with a long and recognizable aftertaste. And, of course, you should start your acquaintance with such drinks with strawberry tinctures, the basis of which can be state-owned vodka, high-quality moonshine, no less high-quality diluted alcohol, cognac, neutral white rum or even gin. But first things first…

It is logical to assume that strawberries and strawberries are interchangeable in these and other similar recipes. Therefore, you can safely try to prepare strawberry tinctures according to the recipes for strawberry tinctures, but these, of course, will be completely different drinks.

The simplest tincture of vodka on strawberries

Forest or any wild strawberries are small enough, so you don’t need to cut or crush them – vodka will easily penetrate inside, extracting all the flavoring substances. If you have made strawberry drinks, then you know firsthand how painfully long their filtration can take. There are no such problems with strawberries. Even on mint strawberries, drinks are filtered much easier. Indeed, it couldn’t be easier!

Carefully sort out strawberries, get rid of spoiled berries, remove the stalks. If this is a small green strawberry from a forest clearing, then you don’t need to crush or cut it, large earthenberries (it appears here because it has a very bright, expressive, not watery aroma comparable to the aroma of wild strawberries) and other “cultivated strawberries” should be cut in half or quarters. Place the berries in a jar, filling it no more than ¾ of the volume. Add vodka, alcohol or moonshine so that the alcohol completely covers the strawberries. Close the jar tightly and leave it in a dark cool place or on a sunny windowsill if you want a lighter drink with a slightly smoky flavor.

After 1-2 weeks, the tincture can be filtered and filtered through cotton pads or coffee filters. Strawberry tincture should be stored in tightly sealed clean bottles in a dark, cool place. Exposure within 2-6 months is welcome. Drink should be within 1 year!

Strawberries on vodka with cucumber and basil

This unusual tincture will be a good start for the coming year with its hot evenings. It takes freshness from cucumber, which practically does not affect the taste, but brings a feeling of lightness to the drink. Strawberry and basil are a nearly perfect drink combination, as demonstrated in one of the strawberry tincture recipes mentioned above. For the same reason, vodka or any other neutral raw material can be replaced with gin, which is wonderfully good with both basil and cucumber. You can drink this creation with tonic, lemonade or use it in any cocktail instead of regular vodka.

Sort the strawberries, remove the stalks. Place the berries in a jar of a suitable volume, add a cucumber cut into small cubes and pour everything with vodka / alcohol / moonshine. Close the jar tightly, shake well and leave in a dark, cool place for 1 week. Shake the contents every day. On the 8th day, add basil, close the jar tightly again and shake. Strawberry tincture with cucumber and basil should be infused in a dark, cool place for another 3-5 days, stirring occasionally. After the set time has elapsed, strain the tincture, filter and pour into a clean container. Store the drink in a dark, cool place, preferably in the refrigerator. Exposure within 2-3 weeks is welcome. Use this creation is desirable for 1 year!

Original strawberry tincture “Caribbean”

Yes, they make juice from strawberries and even prepare it for the winter. You can find ways to extract it yourself, but the easiest way, as for me, is to get it from a heated berry. To do this, strawberries need to be sorted out, getting rid of the stalks, rinsed under running water and heated in a saucepan to 75-80^оC. After that, the juice can be very easily squeezed out in any suitable way (grind through a sieve, gauze, etc.), filtered and used for various purposes, for example, mixed with rum. To obtain 0,5 liters of juice, an average of about 0,8-1 kg of ripe berries will be required.

As for rum, its fruity essence perfectly complements the expressive summer taste of strawberries. This tandem is not hackneyed and may well become your favorite drink in the future. Instead of not cheap rum today, you can use one of its successful imitations, the main thing is that one of the flavors does not stick out too much in it, which can muffle the rather delicate strawberry taste.

For tincture, be sure to use freshly squeezed strawberry juice. Preparing a drink is as easy as shelling pears: mix juice and rum in a liter jar, close the jar tightly and leave it in a dark, cool place for about 2 months. After this time, filter the drink through cotton wool or coffee filters and pour into clean bottles. You can drink strawberry tincture on rum immediately, it does not need aging, but you need to use it within 1 year – the taste quickly loses saturation and fruity shades.

Warm and sunny summer to you!