Keeping with the Dry January theme, the second easiest way to make something delicious and special without involving alcohol is the infusion. (The first way, of course, is Simple Syrup.) If you’ve ever brewed a cup of tea or a pot of coffee, you’ve made an infusion. This is simply the process of taking some kind of solid material and soaking it in a liquid to extract its goodness.
I should clarify that an infusion can also refer to the medical procedure of administering a medication through an IV, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. We’re going to stick to the edible kind.
It’s also worth noting that infusions can be made with water, alcohol, or oil. Since we’re not dealing with alcohol we’ll skip that, and oil is probably best used for food or herbal medicines (“medicines” meaning things like calendula-infused oil to soothe skin, again, not the IV kind of medicine). Today we’re talking about infusions made with water.
The solid material involved could really be anything that’s safe to consume. Technically, even bone broth is an infusion, which can also make a tasty beverage. However, it’s more common to go for some kind of plant material, like tea, coffee, herbs, spices, even fruits or vegetables.
How To
The process itself is dead easy. Put your flavorful material into a container, add water, wait, strain, enjoy. The straining part is even optional. About a tablespoon of material to a cup of water is a good ratio to start with, and the water can be hot or cold. A French press works really well here, but you could steep an infusion in anything, then strain it into a mug, a glass, a jar, a pitcher, or whatever its final destination will be.
The steeping time could be anywhere from a few minutes to overnight. Generally speaking, you’d want to start with a few minutes if you’re using hot water, and longer if you’re using cold water. For example, green tea only needs about 2 minutes, black tea does better with around 4 minutes, and cold brew tea (or coffee, for that matter), should sit for at least several hours, preferably overnight.
Leaves, petals, stems, and seeds can go right in, but you might find you get more flavor if you crush leaves a bit with your fingers or crack seeds (like coriander seeds or peppercorns). If you’re working with bark or roots (like cinnamon or licorice, respectively) you might trying breaking them into smaller pieces, but you’ll probably have better luck simmering them for 10 minutes or more. At that point, you’re technically making a decoction, which is a very popular method for preparing herbal medicines, but whatever. Still tasty. And of course, fruits and vegetables can be left whole (like berries) or sliced (like citrus fruits or cucumbers.)
I like to brew a pitcher of iced tea with a bundle of herbs (like lemon balm or mint from my garden) or a couple of herbal teabags thrown in with the black tea, just to keep things interesting. Cold brew coffee makes the best iced coffee, and if you stir in some sweetened condensed milk, you’ve got something resembling Vietnamese iced coffee. (And if you haven’t tried that, you really should.)
Flavor Ideas
As for hot infusions (and decoctions), pretty much anything you like can be brewed into a beverage. Some things are great on their own, like cinnamon or mint. Others work really well in combination — think lavender and chamomile, orange peel and clove, sliced fresh ginger and lemon. You could experiment with adding something a little spicy or more savory, like rosemary, black peppercorns, or dried chiles.
If you were feeling really crafty, you could pair an infusion with a flavored syrup. For example, you could make an infusion of hibiscus and strawberry, then serve it on ice with ginger syrup. Or simmer dried apples with a cinnamon stick and add a touch of black pepper syrup. Or add some rosemary syrup to your cucumber and lemon ice water.
Final Thoughts
And if you’re wondering why I won’t just give you a recipe or two with specific measurements and such, it’s because that’s not the point. I would rather encourage you to just fill up your kettle, put something interesting in a teapot or a pitcher, and see what happens. It’s more about the creative adventure, less about the finished product.
Whatever you create, make sure you refrigerate whatever you don’t drink immediately. Even black coffee or unsweetened tea will grow mold if left at room temperature for too long.
Happy sipping!
