10 Liquor Hacks for Your Favorite Spirits

Posted By Carlo Aaron in Eat, Features, Lifehacks, Lifestyle

BreakingModern — You’re not alone in the post-holiday alcohol fatigue, so it’s good to know that there are a surprising amount of non-party-related uses for your leftover booze. Whether you need to clean the house for the new year or banish your winter cold, these liquor hacks will keep your 2015 interesting.

Cleaning

Vodka is a surprisingly potent cleaning agent. You can use it to keep your dry clean-only garments smelling fresh by misting them with a diluted vodka spray. The same spray can even be used to rub wine out of the carpet — just make sure to keep your pets away.

Make “Caviar”

Ever craved a food that looks like caviar but tastes like rum? Mix dark rum, agar-agar (a gelatin substitute) and vegetable oil to create delicious little balls of heaven, a great addition to cocktails or a finger-food that’ll be sure to impress company.

Make Perfume

You can make your own perfume with Everclear alcohol or vodka (or with perfumer’s alcohol, but where’s the fun in that?). Invite some friends over and make it a DIY party to forget.

Treat Poison Ivy

If your last adventure outdoors led to some unexpected itching, it’s time to reach for some more vodka. Pour it over the affected area as quickly as possible for the best results.

Cooking

Turns out tequila can add a great kick to your next culinary adventure. Whether you feel like grilling some wings or dousing your steak in alcohol, the Food Network has some great tequila-related recipes for your next barbecue or party.

Baking

Even though it might be hard to believe, vodka can really help take your homemade pie to the next level. Surprisingly, vodka makes pie crust delectably flakey without adding any of its harsh flavor. Christopher Kimball whipped up an easy recipe on America’s Test Kitchen, and you can follow his lead with this  New York Times recipe.

Potent Deodorant

Mix Everclear with an essential oil of your choice and lather your underarms. The high concentration of alcohol kills the smelly germs that are often lurking under your pits.

Keeping Flowers Fresh

Add a teaspoon of both vodka and sugar to your flowers. The vodka will kill the bacteria that would otherwise grow in the water and help your bouquet last longer.

Treat a Sore Throat

Never take cough medicine again! Gargle a glass of warm water with a spoonful of whiskey to relieve your agitated or sore throat. You can always swallow if you want to feel better faster, too.

Disinfectant

If you ran out of rubbing alcohol and don’t feel like heading out to the store, use rum instead. It’s an antiseptic, so it’ll disinfect whatever you need it to as long as you don’t mind the lingering smell of a college party in your house. You could even clean a cut or scrape with it, but make sure to take a swig first, because it’s sure to burn.

For BMod, I’m Carla Jarez.

First image: © baibaz / Dollar Photo Club

Second image: © Michael Ballard / Dollar Photo Club

Featured/Third Image: © Brent Hofacker / Dollar Photo Club