Latke Vodka sounds like an oxymoron.

Aren’t Vodka and Latkes made from potatoes?

The simple answer is No. Prior to the 18th Century Vodka in Eastern Europe was made from grains. When you go shopping you might see that most Vodka is not made from potato.

Looking at my local liquor store I noticed that:

The main ingredients in Absolut Vodka are water and winter wheat. Belvedere Vodka is made from Polish rye. Grey Goose is also made from soft winter wheat from Picardy, France, and spring water from the Cognac region of France.  Smirnoff Vodka is distilled from corn, making it gluten-free. Stolichnaya (Russian: Столичная, also known as Stoli) is a vodka made of wheat and rye grain.

However, Luksusowa is a Kosher Polish Vodka that is made from Potatoes. It is quite crispy and I use it for infusions.

The technique for making Latke Vodka is called “Fat-Washing”. This sounds gross but it a technique used by perfumers to transfer the fragrance of one thing to another. In our case, we will transfer the essence (Smell and Taste) of Latkes to our Vodka.

This is the same technique used to infuse Bourbon with Bacon but I’m a nice Jewish guy so we adopted the technique to a Kosher alternative.

Materials Needed:

• 1.5L Mason Jar (2 of them if you don’t have another container)

• 750 ml (26oz) Vodka

• Funnel

• Wire Strainer

• Coffee Filters

• Measuring Cup

• Decorative Bottles (Optional)

And of course Latkes!

Since the first step is to make Latkes and if you don’t have a Bubbie, Jewish Mother or Epicurean Dad available you can follow one of these recipes:

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/our-favorite-latkes-51259720

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16073/potato-latkes-i/

Or watch this video.

Step 1: Fry Latkes in oil.

We are going to take this oil after frying the latkes and use it to infuse the Vodka. You should save about 100 ml (3.5 oz) of oil for every 750 ml (26oz) of Vodka.

If you afraid of not having enough oil, (Isn’t that the theme of Chanukah anyway?) then pour off the oil after every batch of Latkes. Remember Vodka is more expensive than cooking oil.

Step 2: Pour “used” oil into a mason jar until you have enough for your infusion.

Don’t worry if you have little bits of “latke goodness” floating in the oil, you’ll filter them out later.

Step 3: Wait until cooking oil cools to room temperature and top up your Mason jar with Vodka. Any vodka will do! Leave a little gap at the top for expansion, but since alcohol doesn’t freeze you should be ok.

A word about Mason Jars: You should sterilize the jar and lid by boiling them for at least 10 minutes or at very least run them through a complete cycle of the dishwasher before using.

Step 4: Let Vodka/Oil mixture stand for 4-5 hours, shaking it up every so often.

Step 5: Put your sealed Mason Jar in the freezer for at least 24 hours.

Step 6: Take the frozen Mason Jar out of the Freezer. You should have a layer of congealed solid oil on top of yellowish vodka. If it is not solid, put the jar back in the freezer.

Step 7: With a knife cut the solid disk (hockey puck) of oil in half and lift it out of the mason jar. Don’t worry if little “fatbergs” are floating in the vodka, you will filter them out.

As a side note, Jewish cooks used to collect chicken fat, skin etc. and render it to make “Schmaltz” which would be used in cooking and baking using a similar technique.

In the early 1900’s Crisco shortening was “invented” by Proctor and Gamble (P&G) and many Jewish households stopped making “Schmaltz”.

The original Crisco was made from cottonseed oil which was found to have its own health issues. That oil, unfortunately, is still extensively used for Passover foods. (Yuk!)

Step 8: Filter the “Latke Vodka” through a strainer to get out most of the pieces.

Step 9: Pour the Latke Vodka through a coffee filter a number of times to get rid of any oils or particles.

You can use coffee filters, but be patient because it takes a while to trickle through. The cone-shaped coffee filters seem to take forever and you may have to stir the mixture in the funnel to get all the liquid out.

Remember that each step of filtering means that you will lose some liquid so if you start with a 750 ml (26 oz) bottle of Vodka you may only be left with 700 ml (24oz) of “Latke Vodka” or less.

Step 10 (Final): Filter your “Latke Vodka” one last time into a decorative bottle for gift-giving at Chanukah! Check your local dollar store for them, but sterilize before using it.

L’Chayim!

IMPORTANT: Since you used oil in making Latke Vodka you must store it in your refrigerator/freezer because the trace oil in the infusion could go rancid if kept at room temperature. I strongly advise you to consume it within 2-3 of weeks of infusing. Also if it smells funky, do yourself a favor and throw it away and try again.

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