Chron Vivant Takeover: Fat-Washed Gin

This is the third blog from Chron Vivant as part of his blog takeover. In this post, ChronVivant explains what to do what the remaining oil after making your olive oil cake: a fat-washed gin and infused green olives for a savory New Year's Eve cocktail. Read on to learn what fat-washing is all about, and how to craft the perfect infused cocktail.

What does fat-washing mean?

Typically, we think that oil and water do not mix well. Those experienced infusers amongst us know that potent edibles come from using a fat for infusions because the psychoactive and medicated molecules from flower are fat-soluble, which means they bind with fats or that fats can carry these molecules. Enter alcohol.

Alcohol might be liquid and clear like water, but we know the two are not the same. Their chemistry is not the same either. Alcohol has the power of extraction, which is why herbalists use spirits to make tinctures. This fat-washed gin works similarly:

Fat-washing is similar to traditional infusions and involves flavoring alcohol with liquid fat; in this case, we’re using gin with a flower-infused olive oil. Regardless of whether you use herbs, spices, fruits, or fats as the main flavor-adding ingredient, alcohol extracts the flavors and terpenes. Both fat-soluble and water-soluble molecules get extracted and infused into the spirits.

Essentially, you use the fat to pull out the flavors and terpenes from the flower and then use the alcohol to extract those molecules and incorporate them into your spirits, and voila! Medicated cocktails are possible.

Makes 1 16-ounce Jar

Ingredients:

• 4 oz extra virgin olive oil (you can use up to 8 oz for less flavorful fats)
• 750 ml of spirit such as gin, bourbon, vodka, etc

Equipment

• LEVO infuser
• Mason jar with lid
• Strainer
• Cheesecloth
• Bottle with cork for storage

Instructions:

1. Infuse your olive oil or use remaining oil after making a Canna-Infused Olive Oil Cake

2. Mix the spirit and fat (here we have gin and infused olive oil) in a mason jar with a seal-proof lid.

3. Agitate the infusion and leave it at room temperature for about 4 to 5 hours for the flavors to infuse. Transfer to the freezer overnight to solidify the fats.

4. The next day, the fat should have solidified at the top of the jar. Using a mixing spoon, break up the coagulated fat and strain the spirit through the cheesecloth. Strain again as desired to remove any left over solids if necessary.

5. Pour your strained, fat-washed gin back into its original bottle or a freshly cleaned and dried (straight from the dishwasher after a heat cycle is best) bottle that seals (pop-top or cork) for storage on your bar. Or...make it into cocktails.

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