7 Vacuum Chamber Tips, Endless Cocktail Possibilities!

Hi, Friends of Cocktails! Imagine having the power to transform your mixology and cooking in just minutes… today I’ll show you how. From rapid infusions to stunning decorations, we're about to unlock a world of culinary & mixology magic with the power of a vacuum pump. 

I have 7 tips on how to use it best, including an ultimate homemade rapid gin recipe, crafted in just 8 minutes! But first thing’s first: can we even afford this? I think that for such a versatile tool, it is very reasonably priced. 

The one I’m using cost around €300—yes, that’s a few times more than a standard vacuum sealer, but with way more possibilities. As for the size, this is perfect for home use, but if your bar needs a bigger one it will quickly pay for itself, trust me. 

But what even is a vacuum chamber? It’s a handy device that creates a low-pressure environment inside a sealed chamber by removing all of the gases. This lets us do incredible things, like rapid infusions, preserving ingredients in airtight conditions, and even accelerating certain reactions.

But first, let’s go over the main use of a vacuum chamber and the things I use it for most often: use your vacuum chamber to seal bags with liquids. This makes sealing liquids super easy and effective. It removes all the air, so you don’t have to worry about liquid being sucked into the seal, which is a real hassle with a standard vacuum sealer. 

No wasted liquid and getting a perfect seal every time doesn’t just come in handy for when you want to sous vide your next cocktail ingredient, but also for something you know we love on cocktail time: fermentation. So, use a vacuum chamber to create the perfect space for lactofermentation. 

When you’re working with juicy ingredients for lactofermentation especially—like oranges or grapefruits—the vacuum chamber removes all the air which lowers the risk of unwanted bacteria or mold spoiling your mix. By eliminating the air, you create the ideal environment for lacto-fermentation, making sure you really get “a controlled rot”, as Brad Leone from It’s Alive would say!

Now, it’s not just fresh ingredients that benefit from vacuum sealing, because you can use a vacuum chamber to extend the shelf life of dry ingredients too. For things like dried garnishes or cocktail powders, vacuum sealing removes all the air and slows oxidation. 

You can do this hack with a vacuum bag, or even with small jars—just lightly close the lid before putting them in the chamber. As the air gets pulled out, you’ll see the lid pop down, letting you know it’s properly sealed. A quick 15-second cycle is enough to keep things fresher for much longer, but all of that is just the start.

The vacuum chamber can also speed up flavor infusion in a way that normally takes days thanks to vacuum maceration. This process lowers the boiling point of liquids, which means you can macerate without the added heat that comes with cooking or even sous vide.

To show you how that works I’m making a rapid orange tincture with 100mL (3.33oz) of high-proof vodka, and 20g of grated orange peel. Add both to a glass jar and run a “marinate” cycle, which releases and reapplies the vacuum five times for 20 seconds each. We’ll repeat this cycle another 3 times. 

This process forces the alcohol into the pores of the peels, extracting intense flavor and color, but for an extra boost you can add another three 40-second cycles. You’ll see the vodka take on a deep orange hue, and just like that you’ve got an intensely flavored orange tincture to spray over your next Old Fashioned or Negroni, or add a little spice to a cocktail of your choosing.

You could use this technique for rapid bitters of liqueurs as well, but we can go a step further–use a vacuum chamber to create unique cocktail garnishes. The vacuum chamber can help infuse flavors and even colors into your garnishes. As a test, let’s see how to make blue pickled onions from the time we made the Sparkling Martini. 

You’ll need blue spirulina, 1g, which we’ll add to a small jar of pickled onions. We’ll then run the marinate cycle twice to push the color into the onions, giving them a light blue hue for a very special Gibson garnish–but we can still do more!

For our next garnish, we’ll cut a slice of pineapple, remove the skin, and add it to a bag. We’ll then cover it with Campari, before placing it in the vacuum chamber and running two marinate cycles. This will cause the Campari to get absorbed into the pineapple, giving it a rich color and a slightly bitter, complex flavor–plus you’ll also have pineapple-tasting Campari, so it’s a double win. 

But vacuum infusion isn’t just for color. It’s also an easy way to speed up the pickling itself, so use a vacuum chamber for rapid pickling and skip waiting days for the flavors to develop. The easiest way is to take something like fresh red onions, cucumbers, peppers, or even celery stalk, slice it and place it in a jar then cover it with leftover pickle brine.

We’ll first run a single marinade cycle, wait for it to finish, then open the chamber and stir the pickled veggies in the jar. As the brine was forced into it, you might need to top up the jar with more brine before closing the chamber and running two more cycles, and that’s it! You now have a perfect garnish for your next Martini, Bloody Mary, or when you need to bring something special to a cookout. 

And now for the grand finale let’s use everything we learned for the final tip: Use a vacuum chamber to make homemade gin. Making gin at home has really never been easier or faster.  I tried to replicate the classic London Dry Flavor of Beefeater, so I’m starting with a classic vodka, but you’ll also need some botanicals.

Vacuum Chamber Gin

● 200mL · 6.66oz Vodka

● 3.4g Juniper Berries

● 0.9g Coriander Seeds

● 1.4g Lemon Peels

● 0.4g Orange Peels

● 0.8g Angelica Root

● 0.7g Liquorice Root

So first crush the juniper, coriander, and the roots in a mortar and pestle before adding them to a container. We’ll then add in the vodka and citrus peels, before closing the vacuum chamber and running three marination cycles.

Once done simply strain the infused  gin through a coffee filter–and don’t forget to give it a taste! Make it completely unique with your favorite botanicals, but make sure to check the safety of your ingredients before serving, as we mentioned in the Dangerous Ingredients post. 

I have to say, our gin can rival the big guys on the market, and the flavors will continue to develop over the next few days. So with that, you are now ready to turn a simple vacuum chamber into an absolute cocktail game-changer. Until next week, cheers, Friends of Cocktails!