Russians have long flavored their vodka at home, steeping it with berries, herbs or peppers to make a nastoyka, an infusion, and klyukovka, from klyukva, the cranberry, is among the best loved. The berries give up their color and sharpness to the spirit, a little syrup rounds it off, and the result is a clear ruby drink, tart and gently sweet, that appears on holiday tables beside the zakuski, the little cold dishes that begin a Russian feast.

It takes ten minutes of work and a week of patience, so it suits a race calendar nicely: start it on the Friday of the weekend before. It is a sipping drink, served in small glasses and cold enough to frost them, never something to hurry. The zero proof version, built from the same berries and a little honey, is in the first variation.

The infusion

Ingredients

• 2 cups (200 g) fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) plain vodka

Method

1. Rinse the cranberries and pick out any soft or brown ones. Put them in the jar and crush them with the masher or the end of the wooden spoon until every berry has split.
2. Pour the vodka over the berries, close the lid and shake. Leave in a cool, dark cupboard for 7 days, shaking once a day.
3. Pour through the sieve into a jug, pressing the berries lightly. Then strain again through a coffee filter or a double layer of cheesecloth for a clear drink.

Sweetening

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water

Method

1. Heat the sugar and water in the small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Cool completely.
2. Stir about two thirds of the syrup into the cranberry vodka and taste. Add more syrup if you like it sweeter. Funnel into the clean bottle, seal, and let it rest for at least 1 day before drinking; then chill in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

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