Caramel Vodka

Susannah Brinkley Henry

Homemade Caramel Vodka is easy to put together at home with homemade caramel syrup and your favorite vodka.

Course DIY Liqueurs

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings ounces

Calories 65kcal

Author Susannah Brinkley Henry

Ingredients

Caramel Syrup

½ cup water divided
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt for salted caramel vodka, optional

Caramel Vodka

1 ounce caramel syrup
7 ounces vodka

Instructions

Combine ¼ cup water and ½ cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir just until dissolved, about 5 minutes or so. Once you can’t see any grains, stop stirring.
¼ cup water, ½ cup granulated sugar
Cover and boil, about 3 minutes. Remove the lid and gently swirl the pan (don’t stir) until the mixture is a light amber color. If you see sugar crystals on the sides of the pan, brush them down with a wet pastry brush.
As soon as the color change occurs, remove from heat immediately. Cool slightly. Stir in the remaining water and vanilla extract.
¼ cup water, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
If desired, add a pinch of salt for salted caramel syrup. Store syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.
1 pinch salt
Once the syrup has cooled, stir 1 ounce into 7 ounces vodka.
1 ounce caramel syrup, 7 ounces vodka

Notes

Before you begin: Focus on your syrup and don’t allow any distractions. It’s very easy to turn your caramel syrup into burnt sugar syrup. Measure all ingredients out ahead of time. I wouldn’t suggest doubling this recipe until you’ve mastered it.

This recipe moves quickly. As soon as the caramel syrup turns an amber color, remove it from the heat immediately. It will still cook a little more after you remove it from the heat, which makes it that much easier to burn. Once it’s burnt, you can’t save it and you’ll have to start over. (Ask me how I know!)

Troubleshooting: When you heat the sugar and water together, low heat will dry out the sugar so make sure the heat is set to medium-high. If your syrup crystallizes, add a splash of water, heat gently until the sugar dissolves and start again.

Syrup to vodka ratio: This recipe makes around ¾ cup (6 ounces) of caramel syrup, which is more than you need for one recipe of caramel vodka. How sweet and flavorful you’d like the vodka depends on the person, so add the syrup in small amounts. Taste it with a spoon after each addition and add more if desired. You will need approximately ½ to 1 ounce for every 3 ounces of vodka. Feel free to substitute bourbon whiskey for a caramel-flavored bourbon instead.

Nutrition

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