Got me some vodka!

We have one bottle of booze in our house. One single sad one. We pull it out once a year to make fudge – we certainly don’t guzzle our sad lonely bottle of Kahlua… Since Andy and I do not drink – he was quite stunned one day when I brought home a bottle of Vodka. “Rough day?” he asked. “Heck no – I’m making vanilla extract!” I often wonder what goes through his brain sometimes unloading groceries when he finds the strangest things. Thankfully he has a lot of faith in me.

Wandering around online one night I saw that you could make your own vanilla extract. All you needed was vanilla beans – had them – check! And Vodka. Hrm… didn’t have that. So, on lunch one day I bought some vodka. Naturally being the sensible person I am – I brought it into the office and set it on my desk for all to see. I know – classy. Considering I’m the most dry person anyone has ever met (yet the only one in our company to fail a drug test- LONG story) it created some laughs.

Anyway – back to the vanilla… this recipe is tough… let’s see… pour vodka into mason jars…. Stick 3 or 4 vanilla beans in – close lids. Done… ok… sure you have to wait a few weeks – about 8, shake them once a week, then watch the vodka turn into an amber color – week by week. It is actually fun to see the change.

Homemade Vanilla Extract
What you need!
1 bottle (750ml Bottle) Good Quality Vodka
3 whole Vanilla Beans per Container

Make it!
For each jar of extract you would like to make:
Slice three vanilla beans down the center, being careful not to cut through them so that they will release their seeds. Place all 3 vanilla beans into each jar and then fill each jar with vodka. Don’t quite fill to the top.
Place the lids on tightly. Store them in a dark and cool place. Give the jars a good shake once a week. Vanilla extract will be ready to use in approximately 8 weeks.