Homegrown mixed drinks

June 29, 2018 1:15 AM

We are looking for fairly simple concoctions to make with 1) raspberry vodka or 2) rhubarb vodka or 3) rhubarb simple syrup

We have a large amount of raspberry vodka left over from last summer, and rhubarb season has just begun. 2018 is wearing us down and it seems like it is time for a whole lot of mixed drinks.

We made a bunch of raspberry gin at the same time as the vodka, but finished that off because raspberry gin and tonics are so. good. even though we are not usually gin fans. The raspberry flavor is intense and just enough of the gin gets through and the whole thing is summery and lovely. We also like that they’re just three ingredients that are easy to have on hand.

So- we’d like to find a way to use the raspberry vodka, rhubarb vodka and rhubarb simple syrup (not necessarily all at once) that feels kind of like that, but that is more interesting than just adding them to soda water. Ideas?

posted by charmedimsure to Food & Drink (13 answers total)

I’m so jealous!

Off the top of my head, I’d do something like raspberry vodka/ginger ale/orange bitters/lime twist. Or either vodka/rhubarb syrup/club soda/splash of grapefruit juice.
posted by Weeping_angel at 1:24 AM on June 29, 2018

It sounds to me like you should infuse the raspberry vodka with gin spices! Like this recipe: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/06/how-to-make-your-own-gin-recipe-juniper-infusion-easy-homemade-gin.html
posted by spindrifter at 1:48 AM on June 29, 2018

Have you tried shrubs? It's a booze-optional mixed drink that's basically a combination of fruit, flavored syrup and vinegar mingling for a while, and then mixed with seltzer and/or alcohol. They were trendy a couple years ago so there are more recipes than you can imagine online, but ultimately it's a to-taste thing. I imagine that a fresh strawberry rhubarb syrup rhubarb vodka shrub with champagne vinegar would be pretty awesome.

Spiked iced tea with your raspberry vodka would be a refreshing way to forget the news of a warm summer evening.
posted by Mizu at 4:09 AM on June 29, 2018

I can attest to a strawberry shrub plus rhubarb vodka and soda being delicious. My shrub is half red wine half balsamic vinegar though.
posted by ch1x0r at 5:02 AM on June 29, 2018

Raspberry lime rickeys are incredibly popular in my neck of the woods. You could make one with your raspberry vodka, lime juice, and soda water. I bet you could do something similar with a combo of the raspberry vodka and the rhubarb syrup, since the rhubarb has a similar tart citrusy flavor to the lime.
posted by backseatpilot at 5:21 AM on June 29, 2018

You can get frozen limeade concentrate. I'd make that and add plenty of ice, raspberry vodka, wedge of lime. If you want to be fancier, make fruit kabobs with pineapple, cherries, any other fruit and plunk them in. limeade + raspberry vodka popsicles would be quite nice.

Sparkling wine, raspberry vodka. Splash of seltzer or ginger ale if you want less alcohol.
posted by theora55 at 5:47 AM on June 29, 2018

I would get some bottled sparkling lemonade and give that a go with either flavored vodka for an “adult” pink lemonade.
posted by asphericalcow at 6:18 AM on June 29, 2018

Or just bottled lemonade generally. It's kind of low-effort, but raspberry vodka + Simply Lemonade from the grocery is one of my lazy drinks and it is so much better than it seems like it should be for the level of effort involved. I'm not sure if that'll work as well with the rhubarb, but you might try other bottled juices.
posted by Sequence at 8:48 AM on June 29, 2018

Rhubarb syrup and prosecco is a favorite at our house.
posted by rebeccabeagle at 9:09 AM on June 29, 2018

The classic cocktail recipe never lets me down; just experiment and see what’s tasty! The recipe is: 2 parts strong, one part sweet, one part sour.

So, I’d try
—Raspberry vodka, lime juice, and either simple syrup or triple sec;
—same with rhubarb vodka
—spirit of choice (maybe Bourbon?), with lemon and rhubarb syrup...
Etc.

The only time I’ve had this go wrong was when I used gin as my strong, and as my sweet I used some tropical liqueur that turned out to be rum based. Even then, it wasn’t bad, just not as good as the same drink made with rum as the strong.

(Also, for your home preserving entertainment next year, spruce tip vodka or liqueur (equal parts vodka and sugar, with spruce tips) is excellent in martinis, or just over ice...)
posted by leahwrenn at 1:54 PM on June 29, 2018

Adding some lightly bruised mint or rosemary or basil will add another flavor dimension to any of your infusions.
posted by janell at 4:10 PM on June 29, 2018

Yup- have a bunch of shrubs going already (I am not a fan, but spouse is a huge fan) and we could definitely make those boozier. We have used simple syrups in homemade kombucha as well (I am also not a fan, but am enough of a fan of his that I tolerate an absurd amount of jars in my fridge) so might do another batch of that.

Also, for your home preserving entertainment next year, spruce tip vodka or liqueur (equal parts vodka and sugar, with spruce tips) is excellent in martinis, or just over ice...)


I do not know how we have never thought of this- we always just do spruce tip syrup- and it is definitely happening next summer.

General shoutouts: love the idea for the rickeys and for just combining with lemonade, both of which we should already have thought of but had not. We have a bunch of homemade bitters to play around with- I had forgotten we made them-and the mint has recovered enough from winter to finally harvest so thanks for mentioning those, too.
posted by charmedimsure at 7:20 PM on June 29, 2018

I like a cosmo made with raspberry vodka
posted by radioamy at 6:21 PM on June 30, 2018