Double-infusing vodka

In the freezer now, i currently have two vodka-infusions going on. The first is a carawawy-infused vodka (using some not-so-great-tasting Luksusowa vodka) - it's a simple infused vodka with a tiny bit of sugar-syrup added to it. The second is a double-infused vodka. I started out with a bottle of Smirnoff vanilla and added a finger of fresh ginger - sliced and crushed to help bring out the juices.

Why double-infuse in the first place? Well, it might seem like a silly idea, depending on what kind of double-infusion you're doing. (1) Double-infusion could simply consist in infusing the vodka once - and then infusing it again using different ingredients after you've infused it the first time. (2) Then again, it could also involve re-infusing the vodka in the same type of ingredients (replacing it with fresh ingredients of the same type) to achieve a more pronounced flavor. (3) The kind of double-infusion i seem to be going for is one in which you take a pre-bottled infused vodka (Smirnoff Vanilla) and then infuse it with a new flavor that you pick out yourself (in my case Ginger).

Method one has problems because (depending on the ingredient are using) you can sometimes end up adding too much water weight to the infused vodka - thus bringing the proof down too much. Especially if you're infusing in fruit, you might end up with a product that is weaker than you'd like. Of course you could just go for some higher-proof vodka, but that can sometimes mean (if you're not rich) that you end up going for cheap vodka. Method two has the same type of problem. Method three seems perfect i suppose in the case that you want to make a two-flavored vodka - and a flavored vodka already exists that has one of the components (and you like how it tastes). I guess that's what has happened with this ginger-vanilla infused vodka that i'm storing in the freezer at the moment. (Of course, you could try and make a SUPER-INFUSED vodka by taking a flavored vodka and then infusing it again with the same flavor!)

Of course, why not make a ginger-infused vodka and then mix it in with Smirnoff vanilla in a shaker? Or why not simply just put french ginger AND a vanilla bean into a bottle of plain vodka? Good questions. I guess i just didn't like the idea of a solely ginger-infused vodka - i just don't see the point of it. Ginger-vanilla on the other hand just sounds more appetizing. I suppose there's also the oft-cited claim that flavors need time to "marry" together. I don't know how much I believe that, but sure it sounds possible. Regarding the other question - i just don't have enough money to spend on vanilla beans - so taking a pre-bottled vanilla vodka seemed like a good idea. Another reason is that you get to control the ratio of flavors if you infuse flavors separately. After all, once you've stuck the vanilla bean and ginger into the bottle, the flavor ratio will remain the same no matter how long you let it sit. Infusing in stages lets you control the ratio better - and infusing using a pre-prepared infused vodka means that one of the elements is already set. So, you can see why it might make sense. Anyway, i think the concept of double-infusing - using pre-infused store-bought vodka sounds like a fun idea, so we'll see how it comes out.