Spicy Pumpkin Vodka Infusion

By mkuchel

Recipe courtesy Claire Robinson, 2010

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw kabocha or sugar pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch chunks
• 3 cups vodka
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 whole vanilla beans
• 3 large pieces candied ginger, cut into long pieces

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the pumpkin on a silicone mat lined baking sheet and bake until just tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and set aside to cool.

Pour the vodka into a bottle or large glass container. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon stick, vanilla beans and ginger. Let it sit for 1 week at room temperature, shaking gently every couple of days. Strain the infused vodka, through a fine mesh sieve and funnel it back into the original vodka bottle. Cap and refrigerate until ready to serve.