I often find that, even with the best of intentions, I never manage to use a whole bunch of herbs. There are times for dried herbs and times for fresh and without a garden or even a window box in our current apartment, soggy bunches of half used herbs are inevitable.

Even though they are relatively cheap I still can't bear to chuck out something thats perfectly usable. Charlie has taken to experimenting with Martinis recently so these herb infused Vodkas are perfect!

This week I had a lot of mint left over so in it went to a small juice jar (from Crate and Barrel), topped up with some New Amsterdam Vodka and left to infuse over night. I find that if mint is left to stew for too long, much like peppermint tea, it takes on a slightly sickly flavour. As such I limit the infusion time to over night for mint, though other herbs could be left longer.

I'm going to splosh this infusion into a mint Martini but here are some other ideas for vodka and spirit infusions:

Basil vodka in a Bloody Mary
Basil vodka in a strawberry Daiquiri
Cilantro tequila in a Margarita
Lemon balm or Sorrel infused gin, mixed with chilled camomile tea for a Summer evening cocktail