2 cups 80 proof or 100 proof vodka
Fruit*
1 quart canning jar, with 2-piece lid
Sugar, citric acid, or citrus juice (optional)
Heat your sous vide water to 135F.
Measure 2 cups of vodka into a clean 1-quart canning jar.
Add enough chopped, fresh fruit* to fill the jar**.
Put the lid on the jar, "finger-tip tight" (just until you start to feel resistance when you tighten. This allows gas to escape instead of building up).
Put the jar into the sous vide bath and leave it there for 4 hours. Remove the jar and allow it to cool to room temperature. Strain to remove solids.
When the vodka is done, taste it. If you want it sweeter, add a couple of tablespoons of sugar and stir until dissolved.
If you want a little zip of acidity, add up to 1 teaspoon of citric acid. For citrus peel vodka, you can add a couple of tablespoons of the juice from the fruit; juice and strain through a fine mesh strainer before adding.
This is especially nice with blood oranges, because it makes the color more intense!
*Fruit: I've done strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, pineapple, citrus peel (lemon, orange, blood orange).
**For citrus peel, remove just the colored part of the peels with a potato peeler. You don't need to fill the jar. The peels of 4 lemons or 3 oranges per jar is plenty.
The Johnson Family Cookbook