Make Your Own Acai & Raspberry Infused Vodka Recipe

Açaí and raspberries give vodka a berry-forward flavor that works in spritzers and fruity martinis. Unsweetened açaí brings an earthy fruit note, while raspberries add tartness. There’s no added sugar in the base recipe, so you can sweeten each cocktail to taste.

This version uses pasteurized açaí purée and lightly crushed raspberries for a short, refrigerated infusion. The purée contributes flavor immediately and gives the mixture a cloudy purple color; straining removes raspberry seeds and larger pieces of pulp but may not make it clear.

Which açaí should you use?

Choose commercially pasteurized, unsweetened açaí purée intended to be eaten without further cooking. Check the ingredients: a sweetened smoothie bowl, sorbet or fruit blend will change the flavor and texture. SAMBAZON’s unsweetened frozen packs are one example of this type of purée, and the company confirms that its açaí is flash-pasteurized.

Use the measured amount of purée rather than substituting the same volume of açaí powder or juice. Those products differ in concentration and consistency.

Acai & Raspberry Infused Vodka

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain vodka, 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof)
• ½ cup commercially pasteurized, unsweetened açaí purée, softened according to its package directions
• ¼ cup fresh raspberries

You’ll need a clean quart-size glass jar with a lid, a fine-mesh strainer and a clean bottle or jar for the strained mixture.

Instructions

1. Prepare the raspberries. Discard moldy or spoiled berries. Gently rinse the remaining raspberries under running water and drain well.
2. Combine the fruit and vodka. Place the raspberries in the clean jar and lightly crush them with a clean spoon. Stir in the açaí purée and vodka, then close the lid.
3. Refrigerate and check the flavor. Keep the jar at 40°F (4°C) or below. Start checking after about 1–2 hours as a suggested flavor checkpoint, rather than a guaranteed finishing time. Gently swirl the closed jar before sampling.
4. Taste a separate sample. Pour a little into a glass and add a splash of soda water to judge the berry flavor as it will taste in a drink. Don’t return the sample to the jar. Continue refrigerating if you want more raspberry flavor, staying within the açaí product’s handling directions. Plan to prepare and serve this version the same day.
5. Strain. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container. Let it drain without pressing hard on the fruit if you want less pulp. For finer filtering, line the strainer with food-grade cheesecloth.
6. Keep chilled until serving. Stir or gently shake before pouring if the fruit has settled.

Serving ideas

Berry spritzer: As a starting point, pour 1½ fluid ounces of the strained mixture over ice and add 3–4 fluid ounces of chilled soda water. Stir gently. Taste before adding a squeeze of lime, since the raspberries already contribute tartness.

Fruity martini variation: Substitute some of this mixture for the plain vodka in your usual vodka martini recipe. Start with a partial substitution so you can judge the berry flavor alongside the vermouth. Expect a fruitier, cloudier drink than a traditional martini.

If either drink tastes too tart, add simple syrup a little at a time to the individual glass. Sweetening at serving time keeps the rest of the batch flexible.

Straining and storage

Açaí purée contains fine particles that can pass through a kitchen strainer. A paper coffee filter may catch more sediment, but it can clog and drain slowly. Some cloudiness is expected; filtering changes the texture, not the mixture’s storage safety.

Keep the infusion refrigerated throughout preparation and after straining. Follow the purée manufacturer’s thawing and opened-storage directions, counting from when it was thawed or opened. For example, SAMBAZON advises consuming its packs soon after gently thawing.

Don’t assume that adding vodka makes fresh fruit shelf-stable. Oregon State Extension guidance on produce-infused spirits explains that added produce can lower the alcohol concentration and, in sufficient quantities, create an opportunity for spoilage. A long-term storage period has not been established for this mixture, so make it for near-term serving rather than pantry storage.

For a smaller batch, use 1 cup vodka, ¼ cup açaí purée and 2 tablespoons raspberries. Label the container clearly as alcoholic and keep it out of children’s reach.