Celebrating Spring with Strawberry Lime Infused Vodka

I've been a little lax with posting this month! It's already 10 days into the month and I've only posted once - whoops! I have a few feeble excuses. I've been very busy at work (which has been wonderful!) but mostly I've just been too busy enjoying SPRING to want to sit indoors in front of the computer typing up posts. The sun has been shining all week and the days are warm and sparkling, it's just absolutely wonderful.

I'm not a fan of winter, I'm prone to a bit of S.A.D. so the start of spring is always a huge cause for celebration for me! It means that I've made it through another winter (this sounds dramatic but I find them a genuine struggle) and I can start enjoying myself and living it up again! I love the day when you find you can wear a t-shirt and feel the sun on your skin again. I also love transitioning into light salads, fruit salads and fruity cool cocktails.

So, I'm celebrating spring with this delicious and simple infused vodka. I first tried infusing vodka earlier this year, when I made Pineapple and Basil Vodka. It was delicious, although somewhat strong on the basil flavour, so it wasn't something I could drink a lot of. My second attempt, however, was absolutely fantastic. This vodka is infused with Lime and fresh Strawberries and it's phenomenal. The strawberries turn the vodka a gorgeous rich red colour and this vodka tastes so good that you can just drink it straight (if you like strong drinks!). It's perfect on ice topped up with a splash of chilled soda water and a slice of fresh lime.

Ingredients
750ml vodka
2 punnets fresh strawberries, washed and chopped in half
6 limes, peeled and sliced

To Make
1. In a large jar with a sealable lid (with a wide top so that you can get the stuff back out again!) place the strawberries and the lime slices.

2. Pour the vodka into the jar and shake it up gently.
3. Seal the lid on the jar and set aside in a dark cupboard to infuse for 1-3 weeks, getting it out occasionally to shake it (but ensure that the fresh ingredients are covered by the vodka before putting back in the cupboard) and taste it to see if it is infused to your taste yet. Gradually the strawberries will lose all their colour to the vodka. When you have pale white-ish strawberries in the jar you know it is done!
4. When you get it to the strength you like strain the whole jar through a strainer lined with muslin or cheesecloth.  Discard the strawberries and limes and put the vodka into a bottle.

*TIPS*
~ Best served with fresh lime juice, to get the fresh tang of the lime
~ If you can think of a use for the pale vodka soaked strawberries then put them to good use! I couldn't really think of anything, so if you do let me know what it was!
~It is best to keep the vodka refrigerated, as the fruit content of this vodka means it could possibly go bad. I say possibly, because it lasted fine in my fridge for a couple of months and you'll probably drink it all up before it gets a chance!