Hop Vodka?

[HalfPint]

Man, what if you did a cascade infustion then did Vodka and grapefruit juice with a shot of sparkling water.

YUM!

 

[Beens_Baxter]

Blasphemy! Zubrowka is a wonderful vodka.

The flavors just didn't agree with me is all >.<

 

[bwomp313]

Man, what if you did a cascade infustion then did Vodka and grapefruit juice with a shot of sparkling water.

YUM!

me likey!!

 

[permo]

wow, that is a crazy hoppy mixture. If you can somehow strain the liquid off I would think you will have a very bitter, flavorfull, but also powerfull and undrinkable (on its own) liquid....I bet you could literally add a dash of this stuff to the appropriate mixed drinks.....maybe it would add a nice herbal/floral kick to a specialized bloody mary. Also, just a dash in a martini I think might be amazingly good......

A similarly terrible concoction , Angustora Bitters, is commonly used in alco bevs. I would sure like to try to make something your vodka, but would sure like to hear how yours ended up.

 

[Turbulence]

I soaked a handful of cascades in a mason jar of vodka. It definitely has an intense hop flavor, not something I would drink more than a sip of. But turned out to be quite good when added in small amounts to a beer or as a hopka tonic.

 

[CNote2]

Definitely interested in hearing how this turns out.

 

[craven_morhead]

Yeah, bitters are basically spices for mixed drinks. I would guess this could be used similarly.

 

[dleonard]

On the other hand, Hopsdirect sells Hop Tea, so this doesn't sound totally out of the realm of acceptability.

But that is going to be one WICKEDLY bitter beverage. I bet you'll be cutting it 3:1 or more just to get it drinkable.

Huh. We have the beginnings of a SHaSV here - Single Hop & Single Vodka!

I actually got all the flavors of hop tea they sell.
It was ok...
Very earthy and herbel. Not really my favorite. Also not really hoppy like I expected. I would probably not have known it was hops actually.

 

[dleonard]

Alright,
First, the main problem here was that the pellets expanded and consumed all of the liquid except about an inch of vodka in the neck.
I drained that out, and it was mostly clear, I didn't a real need to strain that, but once that was out, basically no more vodka would come out. The hops mush and the vodka were at one. Further, it was so thick that it wouldn't run out of the bottle. I got a skewer and tried to dig it out, but that didn't work either. I think that you could probably pour vodka in there, and then slowly flush it out, but I might bail on this test.
As for the smell... Amazing! I really loved the smell, it wasn't too strong. I know that it wasn't too strong because that inch of green vodka in the neck? Yeah, I shot it! :rockin:
So bottom line, I'm trying it again, but with whole leaf not pellets. Thats what I wanted to do to begin with, but had a couple of beers and figured 'oh well'. I think that the flavor was good too. Several people guessed that that amount of hops would be too bitter, or too overwhelming, but that just wasn't my feeling. (again, I do admit that I've never found a beer that I thought was too hoppy though) As for the flavor, I loved the shot that I had. I really thought that the strong hop flavor and the strong vodka flavor went well together.
As for drinks to make with it... (assuming you got a used whole leaf hops and got a flavored liquid) I don't know, I don't really drink other alcohols other than beer, and almost never a mixed drink, so I don't have a guess there.
Some people also suggested that it would be a great addition to a secondary. (again I'm assuming that you're getting a hop flavored vodka) I also agree with this. I think that it would be great in a secondary, or even in a keg.
I used Centennial hops as they are my favorite type. I think that cascade and Amarillo would also be great choices. I think that the fruity notes in these hops work well in this application as a fruity flavored vodka isn't strange.
So back to my LHBS, and then to the liquor store for some more vodka!