Making Your Own Mint Extract

I use vodka each year to make my own homemade vanilla; I’ve also used vodka to make sour cherry cordial. This year I decided to try making mint extract. Since I’m not growing my own mint yet in our new garden I found an excellent source of mint at the local Farmer’s Market. In making your own mint extract you only need two ingredients mint leaves and vodka. What could be easier?

Mint Extract

Ingredients

1 cup of fresh mint leaves
1 ½ to 2 cups of vodka

Directions

Rinse the mint and pat dry. Remove the leaves from the stems. Crush the leaves using your hand or a wooden spoon.You will need 1 cup of crushed mint leaves. Place the leaves in a clean pint size jar. Fill the rest of the jar with your vodka. You want the mint leaves to all be covered.

Put a tight lid on the jar and store in a dark, cool place for two months. Strain the vodka and pour into some small decorative jars. Keep one for yourself and give the rest away! Making mint extract is so easy, especially if you have an abundance of mint in your garden.

Wondering how to use your extract? Use mint extract in cooking, it is a delicious addition to baked goods such as brownies, cookies and cakes. Make your own peppermint ice cream! Mint extract can be added to tea for a refreshing pick me up. You can even use it as a household cleaner, just add 2 tsp of peppermint extract to 1 cup of water and use in place of a commercial spray cleaner.

I think I’m going to have to investigate making other kinds of extracts, such as almond or orange. Have you tried making your own extracts before?