I looked up “how to infuse vodka” and found this handy step-by-step guide on wikiHow:

1. Choose a flavor. Decide how you want your vodka to taste, and get plenty of the desired fruits, berries, peppers or herbs.
   • If infusing fruit, use 1-3 good sized pieces.
   • If infusing herbs, use 1-2 fists filled of the herb (depending upon the potency of the herb).
   • If infusing berries, use 2-4 fists filled with the berries. You may also want to bruise (squish a little) them first.
   • If infusing peppers, use as many as you want. The more you use and the longer you infuse, the spicier the vodka will be.
2. Preparation. Wash and slice the fruits (this will speed up infusion by increasing surface area). However, leave berries whole after removing any stems or leaves. Place all of your ingredients together in an airtight sealed container. The relative proportions of each ingredient (if you’re using more than one) are a matter of personal preference.
3. 

   Infuse! Fill the container with vodka, seal it, and put it some place safe and away from direct sunlight.

So I’m thinking, grab a bulb of fennel.  Cut it in half and stuff it into the container with the vodka.

As it’s barely above forty degrees today, we’re still working on our dark liquors but I can’t wait to try this come May.

Bob Heiss is a foodie savant. He and his wife Mary Lou own Cooks Shop Here on King Street. It’s a must-stop in. Even if you don’t think you’re a foodie (foody? Jim Foudy?) they have an impressive rack of candy worth a visit right inside the door.

Bob hosts a weekly radio show I produce called Off the Burner (podcasts of it available for a listen here) on Saturdays at 9:30am. This week he talks about the spirit rye and its importance in the cocktail of New Orleans, perhaps the first American cocktail, the sazerac. The guy is a thoughtful host because for the taping he brought along the ingredients for me to taste my first sazerac.

Here they are:
2 oz. rye (or brandy – the original is brandy, but the traditional recipe calls for rye)
3 shakes of Peychaud’s bitters
A shake of Angostura’s bitters
A mist of lemon oil from the thin rind of a lemon
pastis (an anise-flavored liquer)

(The pastis is a mediocre replacement for absinthe. Rumor has it wormwood-free absinthe is available out there so if that’s the case, have at it with the absinthe.)

Put all the elements into a cocktail shaker containing three ice cubes. GENTLY stir the contents, DO NOT SHAKE. And then pour into the pastis-coated rocks glass.

It’s a lovely sipping cocktail. And rye is all the rage right now. Even Anchor Steam Brewing Company got into the mix with their Old Portrero 18th Century Style Whiskey.