Warm Winter Cocktail Making Kit

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Spchlang
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A mason jar with dried orange and apple slices, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and spices sits on a table with bottles and sugar cubes.

If you like the idea of ​​a cozy winter cocktail with almost zero effort during serving, these dehydrated cocktail kits are the way to go.

In this post we share how to make our own Winter Warmer cocktail infuser kit. You prepare a jar with dried fruits, spices, and sugar, then add whiskey or dark rum at least overnight to put it slowly in the fridge. When it’s time for happy hour, all you have to do is filter and pour.

These jars look great, are easy to assemble, and make inexpensive holiday gifts. They are perfect as hostess gifts, stocking stuffers, or to bring for a winter cabin weekend or camping trip.

Along with the classic Winter Warmer kit, you’ll also find a few more flavor pairing ideas below. The recipe card below is for the Winter Warmer version.

A mason jar with dried orange and apple slices, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and spices sits on a table with bottles and sugar cubes.

How Cocktail Infusion Kits Work

The basic idea is simple:

  1. Place the dry ingredients in a jar: Put the dried fruits, spices, and sugar in a clean, completely dry jar.
  2. Add alcohol ahead of time: When you are ready to pour, fill the jar with alcohol. For a Winter Warmer, we recommend whiskey, bourbon, or dark rum.
  3. Put it in the fridge: Close the jar and let it sit in the refrigerator at least overnightgood 24 to 72 hoursfor the flavors to infuse.
  4. Strain and serve: When the taste is where you wanted it, filter the fruits and spices. The infused liquor is ready to be served over ice or used as the base for a light cocktail.

Note: These are not “fast” cocktails. Plan to add alcohol at least a day or two before he wants to serve them.

Flat lay of assorted pieces of dried fruit, spices, sugar cubes, and bottle on wooden background.

What you need

To make a batch of cocktail infusion kits you will need:

  • Jars: Clean, completely dry jars with lids (pink size or 16 wide mouth jars work well)
  • Dehydrated fruit: Oranges, apples, pears, lemons, cherries, etc.
  • Whole spices: Cinnamon sticks, star anise, whole cloves, allspice berries, cardamom pods, fresh ginger slices (dried), etc.
  • Sugar cubes: Regular sugar cubes, or sugar cubes soaked in bitters and dried in a dehydrator
  • Labels: To notice the taste and alcohol suggested

Vacuum the pots using a tool like this one to extend the life of the kit—this is especially helpful if you’re giving them as gifts!

Close up the bottom of a jar filled with dried apple slices, star anise, cinnamon sticks, ginger, orange slices, and sugar cubes.

How to Assemble Installation Kits

  1. Start with clean, dry jars: Make sure the jars and lids are completely dry. Moisture can reduce the shelf life of your kit.
  2. Put the ingredients: Put the dried fruits, spices, and sugar cubes in the pot in stages. This makes the jars look nicer and helps the flavors to spread more evenly when you add the alcohol.
  3. Close the jars: Close the lid and tighten it. At this point, the jars are shelf stable for a while, as long as everything inside is completely dry.
  4. Keep the kits dry: If sealed in a mason jar and stored in a cool, dry place, these kits will stay fresh for about one month. If you seal the jar with a vacuum, it will last 6 months or more.
A mason jar with orange slices and spices on a wooden surface, surrounded by bottles, a bowl of star anise, sugar cubes, and an orange slice.

How to Pour

When you are ready to pour:

  1. Add alcohol: Open the jar and fill it with your favorite alcohol until it reaches just below the rim.
  2. Refrigerate: Close the dough and mix it slowly. Put it in the fridge and let it infuse for a few days. After about 3 days, start tasting.
  3. Sort and save: When the flavor is where you want it, strain out the fruit and spices and discard. Pour the alcohol into a clean jar or bottle.
  4. Shelf life: Infused alcohol will keep for several months in a cool, dark place.

Storage and Safety Notes

  • Make sure all the fruit is completely dry before assembling your kits. Any moisture will shorten shelf life and can cause mold.
  • Store dry items in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight.
  • Once installed, store alcohol in a cool, dark cabinet or refrigerator.
  • If anything smells, has visible mold, or looks suspiciously cloudy, play it safe and throw it away.
  • 5 dried orange slices
  • 5 dried apple slices
  • 3 pieces of dried ginger
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 3 allspice berries
  • 1 star anise
  • 4 sugar cubes add a few layers of bitters and/or vanilla extract and let dry

  1. Place ingredients in a clean, dry, pint-sized jar with a lid.*

  2. To pour, open the jar and add alcohol of your choice, filling just below the rim. Cover and brush gently. Allow to infuse for a few days in the fridge. Taste test each day.

  3. When the flavor is where you wanted it, strain the ingredients, discard, and add the alcohol that was added to the clean jar.

  4. Infused alcohol will last for several months.

Gift Packaging

  1. Serve the cocktail kit in a beautiful mason jar and add a tag with pouring instructions. You can put a small bottle of vodka to pour it. Adding a mason jar shaker lid is a fun touch, too!

*If sealed in a mason jar and stored in a cool dry place, these kits will stay fresh for up to a month. If you vacuum seal the jar, it will keep for 6+ months.

Storage and Safety Notes

  • Make sure all the fruit is completely dry before assembling your kits. Any moisture will shorten shelf life and can cause mold.
  • Store dry items in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight.
  • Once installed, store alcohol in a cool, dark cabinet or refrigerator.
  • If anything smells, has visible mold, or looks suspiciously cloudy, play it safe and throw it away.

Nutritional value is an estimate based on information provided by a third-party food calculator

Flavor Combinations You Must Try

Here are some of our favorite flavor combos to use as a starting point. Prices vary, so feel free to adjust based on your jar size and personal taste.

Winter Warmth (Included)

  • Dried orange slices
  • Slices of dried apples
  • Pieces of dried ginger
  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Star anise
  • Cloves are perfect
  • Allspice berries
  • A sugar cube (add a few bitters and/or vanilla extract and let dry)
  • Installation: Whiskey or rum
  • Serving: Serve over ice, or warm slightly with a splash of hot water for a toddy-style drink.

The Old Fashioned

  • Dried orange slices
  • Sugar cubes are pre-infused with bitters
  • Dried cherries
  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Installation: Whiskey or bourbon
  • Serving: Serve over ice with extra orange peel if you have it.

Spiced Apple

  • Slices of dried apples
  • Cloves are perfect
  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Star anise
  • Sugar cubes
  • Installation: Whiskey, rum, or vodka
  • Serving:Top with a little soda water for a light drink, mixed with a little warm apple cider, or serve straight over ice.

Cool orange

  • Dried orange slices
  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Cloves are perfect
  • Star anise
  • Allspice berries
  • Cardamom pod, broken
  • Sugar cubes
  • Infusion: Whiskey, brandy, or rum
  • To serve: Serve warm or over ice, or mixed with warm apple cider/juice.

Variations of mulled wine:Instead of pouring alcohol, add the contents of the carafe and a bottle of red wine to the pan. Bake gently for 15 to 20 minutes to let the flavors meld, then serve warm.

Chopped Vanilla Pear

  • Slices of dried pears
  • A slice of dried lemon
  • A piece of dried orange
  • A cinnamon stick
  • Cloves are perfect
  • Vanilla beans, split lengthwise, OR a few drops of vanilla extracted from sugar cubes and let dry
  • Sugar cubes
  • Optional extras:Allspice berries, star anise, dried ginger slices
  • Installation:Brandy, rum, vodka, or bourbon
  • Serving:Serve over ice with a splash of soda water, or stir over ice and strain into a chilled glass.