Fennel Infused Vodka

Test Batch:

375 ml vodka

2 heads dry fennel seeds

1 tsp sugar

I've never had much luck growing fennel in my yard. The bulbs never amount to much, and the seeds drop all over the garden. The hundreds of seedlings that come up in the spring are only discernible from dill when you smell them. Pleasantly-aromaed weeding is still weeding.

So I have fennel plants. If I am still paying attention to them late in the season, I snip off the seed heads so that the hundreds of seedlings don't become thousands.

I'll admit that the fennel vodka came out an effort to find something to do with fennel seeds rather than out of some desire for fennel-flavored vodka. But my goodness this has been a pleasant surprise. The taste is reminiscent of ouzo, of course, and when I first tasted the stuff I immediately wondered if mixing the fennel vodka with other flavors like ginger and cinnamon would make something jaegermeister-like.