Facts on Infusion

[Bushman]

Facts on Infusion
The history of infusion comes from the medical field as a way of making herbal medicine. Cordial is another term for liqueur it's latin meaning "from the heart" was used to stimulate circulation. Around the fifteenth century liqueurs went from being a pharmaceutical remedy to being served as a drink because the same properties of alcohol that bond the medicinal elements in herbs and spices also make it bond with tastes and aromas.
Tincturing is a method used to flavor by soaking ingredients in already distilled alcohol. Liqueurs are distilled spirits that have been flavored with sugar, herbs, spices, fruit, vegetables, nuts, flowers, seeds, roots, even with bark.

The finishing process in making liqueurs is clearing:
Some folks like the presentation and want their drink as clear as possible while others prefer the flavor with less clarity. Some liqueurs throw off sediments as they sit. Methods for removing sediments or making your drink clearer:
First I like to put it in the freezer or refrigerator as it has a tendency to separate and the sediments drop to the bottom. But from here I use two methods "racking" and "filtering". By racking (syphoning out as much of the clear liquid as possible) it makes the filtering much easier as there is less sediments to clog the filter. Other things that can help with clarity would be to put your infusing ingredients in a strainer bag before adding it to the spirits or by not pushing on the solids when straining.

With all the fruit that has come available this time of year in the US thought some might enjoy the information.