After a season of strong growth, particularly in this hot and humid year, our stand of lemongrass is lush and full, three feet tall and just as wide. There would be no way for me to use all the stalks, so when a friend suggested infusing vodka, well, that seemed the best way to keep it going through the fall and winter. I will freeze a lot of the stalks too, as lemongrass is not always readily found at the next door Price Chopper (like most things that people want).
I’ve done several vodka infusions, but this lemongrass is one of the better ones. (Fruits should only be done in short periods of time – try a few raspberries and watch how quickly the color drains from them into the alcohol.) Lemongrass holds its color and form for far longer, the stalwart stalks holding on for weeks, making for a gloriously-slow burn, and a delicious lemon-tinged taste. I like the stems as both stirrers and garnishes. This simple cocktail was just some ice-cold lemongrass-infused vodka (steeped for at least two weeks) and a bit of bubbly ginger soda (NOT ginger ale, ginger soda). It’s both refreshing and bracing, perfect for the warm days and cool nights we’ve had of late.
