Lemon Ginger

1 part lemon infused vodka
1 part fennel infused vodka
2 parts ginger ale

This cocktail not to be confused with Ginger Lemon.

Zollschlager

1 part Ginger infused vodka
1 part Cinnamon infused vodka
1 part Caramel vodka
1 part Fennel infused vodka
1 part Mint infused vodka
1 part Lemon infused vodka
1 part Cola

As soon as you smell the fennel infused vodka you understand the potential. The other flavors add some nice depth. I am sure we could come up with additional flavors that would continue to improve matters. The cola is not entirely necessary but adds color and a bit of sweetness.

The first thing you will note when you try this stuff is that - well - it doesn't hurt. This maybe a disappointment if you appreciate the suffering that comes along with drinking Jag shot after Jag shot. I will concede that I experienced a moment of disappointment myself. But the combination of flavors soon left me wondering what all of that suffering was worth.

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.