0 Items
Our Country Living Magazine

How to make herbal infusions

After our adventure with the diospdkas, we now turn to herbal infusions.
Whenever friends come to visit us, we like to surprise them with something made by us. It can be a new recipe, a flower arrangement or an unlikely plant to grow in Portugal that we were able to grow in our farm. We have this tendency to invent new things and our new craze is to try different drinks!

Making infusions of fruit and herbs in spirits is simple and easy, and it gives a special twist to cocktails that are done at home, without having to become the bartender of the year! This is a good idea for those who enjoy “drinks” or when you have guests.

We tried three different combinations

Vodka with Pomegranate
Gin with cardamom
Rum with mandarin and ginger

Here are some tips

Citrus, ginger and fresh herbs are quite quick infusions to make, as a rule, they take 1-3 days to be ready. Fruits such as strawberries, pomegranates and blackberries need more time to so they can take from 3 to 6 days to be on point, but infusions of dried spices such as “cardamom” or pepper, are the ones that need the most time, these may take 8 to 14 days until they are ready.

As it was the first time we decided to start with a little amount after all time has taught us that it is better to think small when experimenting. And by the way always opt to use good distilled alcohol whether rum, vodka, gin or aguardente.

The measures are more or less these:

1 measure of spirits to 1 measure of fruit (excluding citrus)
2 measures of spirits for 1 measure of citrus or ginger or fresh herbs or peppers
3 measures of spirits for 1 measure of dry spices
The citrus fruit needs be cut fine or just use the skin taking care to remove the white part that can give a slightly bitter flavor. Herbs should be used whole, fruits with thick skins (pineapple, pomegranate, mango, …) need to be peeled, deseeded and cut coarsely. It is not necessary to peel fruits with thin skin but you need to take the seeds and cut as well.

In the case of ginger, you should remove the skin and cut very thinly. If using vanilla pod you must to cut the pod in half, with chilli peppers you as have to take seeds out and with spices they have to be crushed with a knife or a mortar.

Put the infusion (destillates+fruits/spices/..)in a jar or bottle, stir and leave it to infuse away from direct light and cold. You have to shake it every day, during the time it is infusing. After the correct amount of time has passed, taste it! if you like, strain it very well (must get rid of all solid bits) and store in a bottle. And then just let imagination roll and make some drinks!

In this article

Other articles

Wild Mushrooms Recipe

Wild Mushrooms Recipe

Here in the area, there are edible wild mushrooms, known as “tortulhos”. We went to meet them.

Do you know how to check if eggs are fresh?

Do you know how to check if eggs are fresh?

Our most recent love is for chickens! We really want some chickens for our farm and we are already dreaming about all the fresh eggs, especially fried in our olive oil with Miguel’s bread, yum! And because we are really imaginative dreamers we are already thinking of...

What to eat in the fall

What to eat in the fall

Not everyone is aware of the fruits and vegetables of each season and so to help in your grocery shopping, we have created a list of the Portuguese Autumn products.

Save the soil

Save the soil

This year I was invited to participate in Terra Sã event, a biological agriculture fair, organized by Agrobio.

How to pick mushrooms

How to pick mushrooms

Mushroom picking has never been as fashionable as it is now, but there are some rules that we should keep in mind when we go out into the field.

How to plait onions

How to plait onions

Do you also experience days when you wake up feeling you really want to learn how to do something you’ve never tried before? I’ve just had one…

How to be healthier

How to be healthier

A new year begins and with it always comes a series of resolutions that we want to take to make our lives better.

Aromatic herbs in the kitchen

Aromatic herbs in the kitchen

Herbs have regained their importance in our kitchens mostly because they can be used fresh or dried, on their own or mixed with other herbs and are an excellent substitute for seasoning such as salt. Besides giving a special touch to any dish, we should not forget herbs represent the most natural and healthy way to prevent diseases.

The future is clearly Agro ecology

The future is clearly Agro ecology

Agroecology is the word that best defines sustainable agricultural production. This type of agriculture takes into account, respects and integrates the environmental, social, political, cultural, economic and ethical reality in which it is inserted. Different practices and theories evolved stemming from the same agro-ecological root; namely:

Small ideas to protect the planet

Small ideas to protect the planet

By making small changes in our daily habits we can all participate in the preservation of nature and the saving of our planet’s resources.

Why should we use olive oil instead of coconut oil?

Why should we use olive oil instead of coconut oil?

Powerful multinationals with no respect for the rules established by “Fair Trade” have succeeded in turning coconut oil into a fashionable product. This is rapidly dethroning traditional products, destroying regional biodiversity and bringing about negative consequences for the country’s economy.

Join Us