Mix It Up: Tips & tricks from Tito’s Handmade Vodka

Here is a New Year’s resolution you might actually keep: Resolve to elevate your drinking game in 2019. The good folks at Tito’s Handmade Vodka offer these tips and tricks to help get you there.

Shake vs. Stir

To shake or to stir? That is the question that most vodka drinkers face when crafting a cocktail at home. It’s pretty simple, actually. When mixing with citrus or juice, the rule of thumb is to shake it up, but when you’re crafting a cocktail that’s more liquor forward, just pour over ice and give it a stir.

How to Shake

When crafting a cocktail with citrus or fresh juice, give it a shake or two. Build your cocktail in a shaker with ice and shake it a few times to fuse the flavors together. Just don’t shake for too long, or the ice will water down your masterpiece.

Make an Infusion

All you’ll need to create your own custom blend is a bottle of vodka, fresh ingredients of your choice, and a sealable container. The team at Tito’s recommends infusing directly in the bottle (just take a sip first to make some room), or in their fancy Infusion Jar ($29.50).

Recommended Infusion Times

1 to 2 Hours: Hot peppers. Test it often as different peppers infuse faster than others and the spirit can easily become burned and unpalatable.

3 to 4 Days: Intense flavors such as basil, cinnamon, cucumber (3 days, skinless), dill, garlic, grapefruit, lemon, lime, mild peppers, mint, orange, oregano, tarragon, thyme, and vanilla bean.

1 week: Moderate flavors such as apple, blackberry, blueberry, cantaloupe and other melons, cherry, lavender, mango, peach, raspberry, rosemary, and strawberry.

2 weeks: Mild flavors such as pineapple, ginger, and lemongrass.

Free Pour

If you don’t have a measuring cup or jigger handy, that’s OK. Skip the extra step of measuring and count the servings with your fingers on the side of the shot glass. One finger is a single, and two fingers is a double.