Wow, it’s been a busy summer! We got back from Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans and turned right around and went to Chicago for Lollapalooza (post on that coming soon). But, we had such a great time in the voodoo city and wanted to share some of the best parts …

First, thanks to everyone who came by to see us at the Cocktail Fresh Market and the Spirit of Texas Luncheon at Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse. It was amazing to meet all of the incredible people who descend upon New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail in celebration of our favorite things – drinking great cocktails and sharing them with friends!! As always, we learned so much from mixologists and distillers at the forefront of our industry, and feel so fortunate to be part of this amazing extended family.

This summer, we are focusing on fresh infusions, traveling the country and teaching people how to infuse their Tito’s at the bar or in the kitchen. Why rely on artificial flavors or someone else’s idea of what lemon tastes like when there is beautiful fresh produce available at your local farmers’ market and infusing is so so easy?!? Many of the people who stopped by our Tito’s Handmade Infusions display had questions about how we made the fresh flavors we were showcasing, so we wanted to share those recipes with you all:

Our beautiful infusions!

Blueberry: A simple infusion that is as beautiful to look at as to drink, this one is delicious served over ice, or mixed with a bit of St Germain and club soda! Simmer 8oz of fresh organic blueberries with 1 teaspoon organic evaporated cane juice over medium heat to help breakdown the fruit. Add to 1L Tito’s Handmade Vodka and let sit 5 days, or until desired flavor is reached. If your blueberries aren’t sweet enough, add a bit more organic evaporated cane juice to taste. You can also use frozen blueberries for this recipe – the freezing actually helps the process along by breaking down the cell structures beforehand.

Lemon-Jalapeno: We love this one in bloody marys or as a hot shot to get your appetite revved before a bbq. Peel the rind from one fresh organic lemon, being careful to take as little of the white pith as possible. Add to 1L Tito’s Handmade Vodka and let sit 3-5 days until desired flavor is reached. Slice 1 jalapeno into discs and add to lemon-flavored vodka. Let sit 10-60 minutes, until desired heat is reached, then strain off the liquid. Be sure to keep an eye on it once you add the peppers – this one can get really hot really fast!

Cantaloupe: Smooth and just sweet enough, there is no better way to enjoy this infusion than on the rocks or shaken over ice and strained into a martini glass. Cut half of one ripe organic cantaloupe into 1-inch cubes and add to 1L Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Let sit 5-7 days until desired flavor is reached, then strain and enjoy!

Orange Chai: A warm, spicy infusion, the orange chai is a surprising flavor mixture that can stand up equally in a dessert drink when mixed with cream and simple syrup, or as a refreshing cocktail mixed with ginger beer. Peel the rind from one fresh organic orange, being careful to take as little of the white pith as possible. Add to 1L Tito’s Handmade Vodka and let sit 3-5 days until desired flavor is reached. Steep 3 black chai tea bags in orange flavored vodka for 15-30 minutes, then strain off the liquid.

Cucumber: It’s a day at the spa in a glass!! Try this one chilled and neat, or mix with a splash of watermelon juice and top with champagne. Peel and dice one organic cucumber into 1/2-inch cubes, then add to 1L Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Let sit 5-7 days until desired flavor is reached, then strain and enjoy!

Bacon-Jalapeno: This was the sleeper favorite of the week! We got compliments on the true bacon flavor rather than a smoky, nitrate-y flavor. One of the secrets is to use non-smoked bacon; we like the center cut uncured version from Whole Foods. Makes a KILLER bloody mary, especially when mixed with our favorite Divine Mary Mix. Fry 1/2 pound of bacon and drain on paper towels. Chop and add to 1L Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Let sit 3-7 days until desired flavor is reached. Slice 1 jalapeno into discs and add to bacon-flavored vodka. Let sit 10-60 minutes, until desired heat is reached, then strain off the liquid.

Tito's at the Cocktail Fresh Market

We love to hear your cocktail and infusion ideas. Get creative with Tito’s and send your ideas and pictures our way!!

Tito’s Skinny Tea
1.5 oz Tito’s HandmadeVodka
Crystal Light Peach Tea made with fresh ginger water and lemon juice
Fresh peach and ginger slices for garnish. Optional garnishes: lemon and sprig of mint.

Instructions: Fill a tall glass with ice and add the Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Fill with the Crystal Light Peach Ginger Tea mix. Add a straw and stir. Garnish with peach and ginger slices.

Tools Needed: Knife & cutting board, 2 pitchers, Large mesh strainer, Large/long spoon, Straws

Skinny Peach Ginger Tea Mix Variation: Slice one cup fresh ginger and boil it for 30 minutes in 2 quarts of water. Strain water into a pitcher (save the ginger slices for garnishing purposes). In another pitcher open and pour in a small tub of Crystal Light Peach Tea powder, 5 cups of the fresh ginger water, and quarter cup of fresh lemon juice. Stir.

Tips: For radical ginger lovers, use 2 cups fresh sliced ginger. Skinny Lemon Ginger Tea: Replace the Crystal Light Peach Tea with Crystal Light Lemon Tea. Skinny Raspberry Ginger Tea: Replace the Crystal Light Peach Tea with Crystal Light Raspberry Tea.

Tito’s Tropical White Sangria
Make 8 servings
1 750 bottle dry white wine
4 oz Tito’s Handmade Vodka
4 oz coconut water
½ cup white grape juice
½ cup pineapple juice
½ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup falernum syrup
24 oz lemon-lime soda (can use sugar-free if desired)
Assorted tropical fruits and non-toxic flowers for garnish

Instructions: Pour all the ingredients except for the soda into a pitcher and stir. Add the fruit and allow to sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours. When ready, scoop the fruit out with a ladle and distribute in 6 pretty glasses then fill 3/4 with ice. Add the sangria and top with a non-toxic tropical flower.

Tools Needed: Knife & cutting board, Pitcher, Large/long spoon, Ladle, Straws

Tips: White grape juice can be replaced with apple juice. Provide bamboo skewers so the spiked fruit can be retrieved from guests glasses. Or skewer the fruit to use as the garnish. Change the theme to Tito’s Yellow Rose Tropical Sangria by using yellow rose petals in place of the tropical flowers.

Tito’s Tainted Virtue
2 oz Tito’s Handmade vanilla pod infused vodka
½ oz hazelnut liqueur
½ oz raw simple syrup
2 oz cold espresso
2 oz fresh cream

Instructions: Shake the first four ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Slowly add fresh cream on top.

Tools Needed: Knife & cutting board,Mesh strainer, Pitcher, Funnel, Clean 750 ml size bottle, Container/squeeze bottle for raw simple syrup, Small pot, Wooden spoon.

Tito’s Handmade Vanilla Pod Infused Vodka: Split a long vanilla pod in half with a knife and drop into a Tito’s Handmade Vodka bottle. Place into a cool dark space for one week. Each day, shake the bottle once. On the eighth day strain the vodka into a pitcher then funnel into a clean bottle.

Raw Simple Syrup: Add one cup filtered water and one cup raw sugar to a small pot. Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow cooling. Pour into a container of choice or squeeze bottle and keep in the fridge until needed.

Tips: The hazelnut liqueur can be replaced with chocolate liqueur, Drambuie, or raspberry liqueur.

About Cheryl Charming: Cheryl tended bar for 28 years with the bulk of her experience on a cruise ship and at Walt Disney World. She has a popular info-rich website (misscharming.com), 5000 question iPhone drink trivia app (Miss Trivia), hand-crafts fun cocktail jewelry (http://www.misscharming.com/jewelry.html), collects drink seen in film, works as a beverage consultant and mixology instructor, and can be easily found and contacted through all current social media mediums (Facebook, Twitter, blog, LinkedIn, Skype, etc).

Bloody mary season is in full swing! Here in Austin, a personal friend of Tito named Michael Parker decided to bottle his beloved Bloody Mary Mix famous at his Opal Divine’s restaurants. Michael is dedicated to the belief that it’s best served with Tito’s Handmade Vodka, so to celebrate the bottles hitting the shelves, we got them together so we could film some of their stories. Here’s one:

We also planned lots of fun kickoff events at Michael’s restaurants featuring the wackiest bloody mary bar you ever did see and live original Austin music every Sunday in June.

Here’s a few photos from the launch party at the Opal Divine’s Freehouse location in downtown Austin:

Thanks to the amazing staff at Couchon Butcher in New Orleans, we have a new favorite summer cocktail! This one is so sublime, yet so simple to make …

In a shaker, combine:
1.25oz Tito’s Handmade Vodka
2oz Fresh Watermelon Juice
.5oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

Top with ginger beer and garnish with a lime slice.

Oh so lovely on a hot summer day!

My name is Louis Piazza and we met on Thursday May 13th at Binny’s Beverage in Chicago’s South Loop at a Tito’s Handmade Vodka tasting and sampling event.

I’m writing to say thank you for your time and hospitality. Coming from an event marketing background, I understand the importance of connecting brands with consumers. My interaction with you, Tito and your representatives has enhanced my perception of your brand and I can honestly say that I will probably be a customer for life. I perceive your brand as unpretentious, crafted and genuine and plan to continue to introduce your product to those that I know will appreciate it.

I’ve attached some pictures to remind you of our group.

Best of luck and I wish you a lifetime of successful business.

Respectfully,

Lou

Going into the liquor business can mean two possible trajectories—riches or rehab. If Tito Beveridge had stayed in oil prospecting, he might have eventually struck a gusher, but on the outskirts of Austin, Texas, on a muddy 26-acre plot, Beveridge has found a comfortable and relatively sober living cranking out his so-called juice, more commonly known as Tito’s Handmade Vodka.”

Read the rest of the great article over at the WSJ.com

“I have been infusing Tito’s vodka for about five years now. My favorite so far is pineapple/mango and I have a great cosmopolitan recipe. Here’s a pic of last summer’s batch of cosmo mix (on left) and blueberry/apricot/mango/cranberry (on right).

Last weekend I started a new batch of pineapple/mango in anticipation of summertime patio fun!

Tito’s is the best!”

Tito Beveridge,

Hello there good sir. My name is Kaitlin Dennis and I am from the great state of Michigan. My friends and I discovered Tito’s vodka last september and it has been our #1 vodka choice since then. We have taken down quite a few fifths and half-gallons since discovering how amazing your beveridge is.

Our most creative endeavor with Tito’s is when we did the 1st annual Tito’s Invitational this past January. This is where each of us made a team name and logo, as well as came up with a mixed drink that consisted of Tito’s Vodka. We each had five minutes in “Kitchen Stadium” to create our drinks and present them to the judges (the other contestants). My fellow Tito drinkers and I wanted to share with you our hilarious evening that was the Tito’s Invitational. I have enclosed the flyer we sent out to friends as well as the rules and some pictures from the evening. The Contestants were as follows: Kaitlin Dennis-Axe Handle Face Destroyerz – Andrew Williams- The Chupacabrafragilisticexpialidociouses – B.J. Williams- The Virgin Mary Taco Meat Avengerz – Chris Williams- Lincoln’s Fury

We hope you enjoy the pictures of our hilarious hi-jinks, and keep the Tito’s Vodka flowing. For more pictures from the Tito’s Invitational, here is a link: http://tinyurl.com/titosinvitational

Our only complaint is you couldn’t taste the Tito’s.”

Paul Hennessy sent us this picture. Evidence of the preparations for a 40th b-day party. Why buy any other vodka? We couldn’t agree more.

Thank you! Thank You!

I have been raving about your vodka since I was persuaded to purchase it at my local liquor store. My friends all thought I was nuts when I kept saying that Tito’s was just as good, or better, than most of the so-called high end vodkas out there. Well, you did not make a liar out of me!

Last night 8 of my friends and I had a taste test. Everybody bought a bottle of their favorite vodka. Only my wife knew what each of us were sampling when we put Tito’s up against:

Grey Goose
Absolut (kind of a joke!)
Kettle one
Ciroc
Van Gogh
Skyy
and Smirnoff Blue Label (100 proof)

One guy cheaped out and bought NOTHING!!! But we still let him participate. By overwhelming majority, Tito’s was rated # 1. The two people who did not choose Tito’s as # 1 liked it second best. (Not bad) The question is … What should I do with all of this left over vodka?

Thanks once again for backing me up, keep making great vodka and we’ll keep on drinking it!”