Saffron Sweetie

God knows why, but we at IYMI HQ decided that we needed to make saffron vodka. So we looked for tutorials and then instantiated them.

Our version had a sixteenth of teaspoonful per cup of vodka, and we used Smirnoff Blue--a 100 proof vodka, which was recommended by Mike Sherwood of Sub Rosa Spirits for saffron infusing. We let it infuse for 24 hours, at which point the vodka had acquired a lemony color and the saffron threads had turned from red to a pale saffron (appropriate, no?).

Saffron-infused Vodka

The first thing to do with any sort of new vodka is attempt a basic martini; so we rinsed an ice-water-chilled martini glass in vermouth and left a tiny bit in the bottom before adding the saffron vodka. We had them with a dill shrimp scampi, and the overall impression was that the saffron paired beautifully with the shrimp scampi but was perhaps a bit strong for a non-food-paired martini.

Saffron Martini (lemon garnish)

Among the cocktail recipes we found, the Saffron Cosmopolitan stood out:

• 2 saffron vodka
• 1 Cointreau
• 1/2 simple syrup
• 1/2 lime juice
• Mango juice according to taste (generally 2 dashes to 2 units--we used 1/2 unit strained mango pulp)

Saffron Cosmo (top view)

The saffron gets a bit stomped on--it's less a cosmo than a mango party--but it's quite an enjoyable cocktail for summer or seafood pairing.

Saffron Cosmopolitan