On 2010-04-26 08:20:44 -0700, Sqwertz said:

>> ...particularly when you consider that gin itself is also an infused vodka.
>
> Gin is not an infused vodka. The flavorings in gin are part of the
> production process.

Oh really? At what point do they engage the juniper?

> Are you using seed or leaf? I would try the former. And don't
> forget to toast them slightly in a dry pan first.

The later, as that's what Samuelsson calls for in his book. He says
"chopped, including stems" so I did that.

In a previous attempt, last year, I did try seed. Got nothing for my
labor. I drained and tried again, this time I sweated them in a frying
pan. Again--bupkis. Of course the taste of dill seed and of dill leaf
are quite different. I was hoping for the the leaf. But in either case,
wringing a dill taste out of dill into vodka has proved evasive.

While on the toic of failures, the juniper berries (about 12) that I
added to my last effort turned the vodka creen, which was a surprise.
I've use the dill before and it imparted no color, so I assume it was
the juniper. The color, and even some of the flavor, reminded me of a
curious German liqueur I once had called Sapine made with Douglas Fir.
It is also called "Christmas tree liqueur". I thought it was fabulous
in a cocktail.

After a number of years I found a bottle of it here in the US, and was
surprised. It reminded me of Pine-Sol. I'm not sure whether it was me
or the liqueur that was changed.
--
If you limit your actions in life to things that nobody can possibly
find fault with, you will not do much. -- Lewis Carroll