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    Home / Drinks
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    Nim Nam {Infused Ginger Vodka Cocktail}

    By Alanna Taylor-Tobin on Dec 23, 2013 (updated Feb 4, 2020) / 26 Comments Jump to Recipe

    glasses of refreshing Nim Nam {Infused Ginger Vodka Cocktail}

    Years ago on Christmas, my friend Lori passed me a flask filled with deliciousness comprised of candied ginger and white rum. It was smooth, sweet, and spicy. She'd gotten the recipe from mutual friend and avid mixologist Chris McIlroy who called it Nim Nam.

    ingredients on table

    lemon zest

    Lori sent me Chris' recipe which involved steeping a particular brand of candied ginger in white rum for several months. I'd been meaning to make it for some time, but the thought of having to wait so long for a sip of that ambrosial liqueur sent me down the instant ginger gratification routes of Dark and Stormies, Sparkling Whiskey Gingerade, and Ginger Rhubarb Bee's Knees. (I like ginger – can ya tell?)

    liquid poured into jar

    vodka poured into jar

    Fast forward to music camp this past summer. My friend Fiona mixed up her version of Nim Nam, which involved freshly grated ginger, vanilla bean, lemon, honey, vodka, and a mere 24 hour steep. She presented us with chilled glasses filled with the golden cordial, ice, and fizzy water. The concoction burst with mellow floral notes, a bit of kicky heat, and just enough sweetness. I begged for the recipe.

    syrup poured into jar

    glass bowl of cocktail mix

    Fiona's Nim Nam uses masses of freshly grated ginger and its juice. Ginger has subtle nuances that can be lost when heated, so I love the bold punch of spice that this version delivers. Meyer lemon zest and juice makes the whole thing taste of sunshine, and honey adds natural sweetness and a pretty, golden hue. The vanilla bean is optional, says Fiona, but it adds a touch of warmth that makes the drink taste comforting and familiar, a like a lemon drop for grown-ups.

    jar of vodka cocktail

    glass containers of nim nam

    The cordial takes only 24 hours to prepare, but the flavors continue to meld as it sits, post-straining, in the fridge for a few days. Don't worry about using a fancy vodka here – the flavorings smooth away any rough edges. (Though if you're a sucker for a pretty bottle, try Reyka or Hangar 1.)

    glass of nim nam

    I think of Nim Nam as a wintertime drink, suitable for holiday and New Year's parties, but it also refreshes on a warm summer day. It makes a lovely gift funneled into pretty jars, and I find it to be the perfect after-dinner tipple. (Something else that makes a lovely gift? A stainless steel soda siphon for making your own fizzy water.)

    top down shot of vodka cocktail

    Whatever the weather, serve this cordial in chilled glasses topped with ice and
    fizzy water.

    glass of nim nam

    Happy holidays.

    Nim Nam {Infused Ginger Vodka Cocktail} in mug

    More Cocktail Recipes:

    • Sparkling Grapefruit, Elderflower & Rosé Vodka Cocktail
    • Sparkling Citrus, Lillet & Prosecco Punch
    • Strawberry Blood Orange Rum Punch
    • Grapefruit, Ginger, and Lemongrass Sake Cocktails

    *Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram,  Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this almond flour pancake recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

    Nim Nam {Infused Ginger Vodka Cocktail} in glasses
    No ratings yet

    Nim Nam {Ginger-Vodka Cordial with Vanilla, Lemon, and Honey}

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    I think of Nim Nam as a wintertime drink, suitable for holiday and New Year's parties, but it also refreshes on a warm summer day. It makes a lovely gift funnelled into pretty jars, and I find it to be the perfect after-dinner tipple.
    Alanna Taylor-Tobin
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Resting time: 1 day day
    Total: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 5 cups.

    Ingredients

    • 750 mL vodka
    • 1/3 cup grated fresh ginger and its juice
    • zest and juice of 1 lemon (preferably meyer)
    • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
    • 1/2 cup mild honey
    • 1/2 cup boiling water
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • In a large jar (1 quart or larger), combine the vodka, ginger, lemon zest and juice, and the vanilla pod and scrapings. Let sit for 24 hours, giving the jar a shake when you think of it.
    • Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.
    • Stir together the honey and boiling water in a measuring pitcher until the honey is liquified. Stir the honey syrup into the vodka. Pour the Nim Nam into bottles and chill.
    • Serve the Nim Nam over ice topped with fizzy water. It will keep refrigerated, for at least a month and probably longer.

    Notes

    Adapted from Fiona Livingstone.
    This spicy cordial is made with vodka; Fiona says to use the cheap stuff since the honey, ginger, and vanilla smooth away any rough edges. I went slightly upscale with Reyka; Hangar One is another one I like the taste of on its own.
    This stuff only gets better as it hangs out in the fridge the first few days after straining.
    Serve it over ice with an equal amount of fizzy water. And watch out – it goes down a little too easy.
    Nutritional values are based on one of five cups.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 266kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 74mgFiber: 1gSugar: 28gVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 0.3mg
    Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

    For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, or subscribe to receive posts via email.

    Looking for more cozy cocktail recipes? Try these:

    • Honey & Hearth: Bourbon & Yellow Chartreuse Cocktail
    • Spiced Apple & Rye Whiskey Cocktail
    • Verdant Lady {green chartreuse cocktail with gin, mint, and lime}
    • Homemade Horchata with Pumpkin Seeds, Maple & Ginger
    • Homemade Eggnog
    • Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur
    • Homemade Tonic Water
    • Vegan Champurrado {Mexican Hot Chocolate Atole}

    Looking for more vodka cocktails? Try these:

    • Apple Cider Hot Toddy with Vodka
    • Honey Vodka Gimlets
    • Grapefruit Elderflower Vodka Cocktails
    • Pomegranate Vodka Cocktails
    • Honeycomb Vodka Smash
    One year ago:

    Vegan Chocolate Chile Coconut Milk Truffles

    Two years ago:

    Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie

    Three years ago:

    Bojon Egg Nog (fully cooked, fully awesome)
    Sage, Thyme and Mimolette Cheese Straws

    Four years ago:

    Roasted Winter Squash and Sage Tart
    Triple Ginger Molasses Cookies
    Satsuma, Ginger and Oat Scones

     

    Nim Nam {Infused Ginger Vodka Cocktail} in glasses and mugs

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    « Holiday Recipe Round-Up, 2013
    Chocolate and Coconut Milk Pots de Crème {with Tahitian Vanilla and Rum} »

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Eileen says

      December 23, 2013 at 10:15 pm

      Hey, I actually have almost everything on hand to make this without venturing out to the store two days before xmas! That is a reward in itself, I think.:) Definitely going to give it a try!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        December 25, 2013 at 8:09 am

        That's awesome, Eileen! Let me know how you like it!

        Reply
    2. Anonymous says

      December 24, 2013 at 11:26 pm

      that sounds so good I only wish I had the ingredients on hand to make it. Why the fizzy water though versus drinking straight as it sounds very "drinkable" on it's own.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        December 25, 2013 at 8:10 am

        I find it a little strong on its own, but if you prefer it straight then by all means!

        Reply
    3. Tunie says

      December 25, 2013 at 7:02 pm

      Hard alcohol is too strong for me but I'll try this with sake - my substitute. Not nearly the same, of course, but it might be good, we'll see!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        December 30, 2013 at 11:16 pm

        Oooh! I bet sake will be superb, Tunie! Let me know how you like it.

        Reply
    4. carey says

      December 30, 2013 at 12:36 am

      This is the time I leave a comment and don't talk about how behind I am on commenting...save for this acknowledgment of it...ahherrm

      Sweet goodness, this stuff is gorgeous! I've been feeling a similar impatience for infusions lately, so the fact that this only steeps for 24 hours is awesome. And there aren't many wintery flavors that make me happier than ginger and Meyer lemon. (The latter just started showing up at the store, and I bought a bagful and then used 'em all in one night because they were so tiny. Worth it!) 100% with you on adding the vanilla bean too. I can imagine what a lovely warmth it brings to the drink. I've also been looking for a reason to purchase a couple pretty Moscow mule mugs, and I think this might be it. Woo!

      Sending lots of fantastic New Year vibes your way! :) xo

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        December 30, 2013 at 11:18 pm

        Heehee! Thanks for the sweet note, Carey! When I posted this, I thought of you and your gingery honey syrup that I made earlier this year - yum! Wishing you the good New Year vibes, too!

        Reply
    5. Todd @ HonestlyYUM says

      December 30, 2013 at 1:52 am

      So happy I just found this (you have no idea) ... thanks Alanna!!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        December 30, 2013 at 11:19 pm

        Aw! Thanks, Todd! High praise from the master of boozy deliciousness. :)

        Reply
    6. megan says

      January 01, 2014 at 1:19 am

      I REALLY want to make this but I don't love vodka. I'm normally more of a whiskey gal. Is there any other liquor I could use? Rum perhaps?

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        January 01, 2014 at 1:48 am

        Hi Megan! I normally don't love vodka either, but the other flavors really smooth it out here. That being said, I bet this would be great made with white rum, too. Let me know how it goes. :)

        Reply
    7. sweetlittlesparrowliving says

      January 01, 2014 at 5:05 am

      I can't wait to try this! Thanks for the recipe and the great post :)

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        January 03, 2014 at 5:41 am

        Aw! Thank you, and you're very welcome, of course. :)

        Reply
    8. Gabby says

      January 02, 2014 at 2:39 am

      Hi! This recipe is exciting! it looks SOOOOO delicious! on another note the search bar on your site had never worked for me and I just wanted to let you know... it is possible that this is a problem specific to me, but just in case it didn't work for others also I thought I would let you know. When i type a word in a hit search it just reloads the page I was on.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        January 03, 2014 at 5:41 am

        Hi Gabby! Thanks for the kind words! Yeah, Blogger's apparently working on a fix for the problem. I'm so sorry! You could try going to the "recipes" page and doing "command F" to search for keywords. Thanks for the heads up. :)

        Reply
    9. jennysue says

      January 06, 2014 at 11:27 pm

      Please - what is "fizzy water" and if it's something I need an expensive appliance to produce and you advise an acceptable substitute?

      Reply
    10. jennysue says

      January 06, 2014 at 11:29 pm

      That should read: Can you advise and acceptable substitute?

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        January 07, 2014 at 4:35 pm

        Hi jennysue, sorry for the confusion! Fizzy water is just sparkling water. We make our own, but you can of course use bottled sparkling water or club soda. Cheers. :)

        Reply
    11. Bill Mckechnie says

      February 14, 2014 at 8:21 am

      Book of Nimnam on amazon kindle by Bill Mckechnie. If you have a kindle? No problem! You can download the Kindle app onto your computer, laptop, ipad, iPhone or Android device.

      Six short stories about an elf who is taught the morals of life

      Reply
    12. Rebecca says

      March 19, 2014 at 8:42 pm

      I pinned this a long time ago and finally got around to making it last week. Delicious! Thank you for sharing. I'm happy to have found your fab blog.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        March 19, 2014 at 9:45 pm

        Yay! I'm so glad you like it! Thanks for reading, and for the sweet note. :)

        Reply
    13. Taylor says

      May 19, 2016 at 6:46 pm

      I accidentally added the honey syrup with the rest of the ingredients to sit for the next 24 hours. Do you think that will change anything?
      Also, does it need to be stored in the fridge or do you think it's ok if it's sitting covered on my kitchen counter?
      Looking forward to tasting this :)

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        May 21, 2016 at 10:28 am

        I don't think the early honey adding should be a problem! It might get absorbed into the ginger a bit, so add more to taste after straining if you like. I should think sitting on the counter should be fine. Let me know how it turns out!

        Reply
    14. Nevette says

      May 13, 2020 at 3:48 pm

      Have you ever made it with pure vanilla extract, and if so, how much? I'm not venturing out much these "Covid" days and don't have any vanilla beans.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        May 25, 2020 at 6:28 pm

        I completely understand. I think you could omit the vanilla altogether, or add extract to taste when it's finished. Let me know if you try!

        Reply

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