The Many Uses of Liquor: Beyond Your Friday Night Drinks
When most people think about liquor, they think of the bottles lining the shelves of the local bar or liquor store. They probably think about mixed drinks, too. What they may not think about is the multitude of other purposes that liquor can serve. Here's a look at some of the other ways that you can use liquor in your kitchen and beyond.
Homemade Extracts
If you're accustomed to buying vanilla, coffee, or fruit extracts from your local grocery store, you may have wondered before if those flavorings are actually natural or not. In commercial products, you can't always be sure. You can be certain, however, if you make it yourself.
Making extracts is as simple as combining the necessary flavoring component with alcohol and letting it sit. For example, you can make homemade vanilla extract by placing an ounce or two of vanilla beans into a cup or so of liquor, whether you prefer vodka, rum, or any other liquor product. Leave it for a year or so, shaking it periodically, and you'll have your own natural, rich vanilla extract.
Cleaning
Whether it's adhesive residue on the table, glass, or streaky mirror in the bathroom, you'd be surprised how effective vodka can be at cleaning it. And, since vodka is a neutral alcohol, you won't have to worry about odor or residue being left behind. It will clean the surface and then dry completely, leaving nothing but clean behind. You can even soak citrus peels in the alcohol if you want to add an essence for fragrance. Just remember to change the peels every couple of weeks.
Garden Treatment
You might even find that your liquor bottles have uses out in the garden, particularly with vodka because of its neutral properties. If you're struggling with weeds around your garden bed or in your walkways, spray them with vodka to target the elimination. This will kill only the weeds you target, allowing you to precisely control its use.
You can also use any kind of high-proof liquor for disinfecting your garden tools. Any experienced gardener knows that you shouldn't take your garden tools from one plant to another without ensuring that they're clean. Otherwise, you risk spreading infectious problems among your plants. Rinse your tools with alcohol to disinfect them between uses.
These are some of the many things that you can do with liquor beyond the traditional drinks. As you can see, it serves many purposes around the house far beyond just serving it on the rocks.