The Dos and Don’ts of Making an Infinity Bottle at Home

I have a lot of booze in my house — it simply comes with the territory of being a wine and spirits writer. And living in an apartment, every so often I have to pare down the collection so bottles aren’t overflowing out of their designated areas. I recently did a big cleanout after revamping my dining space, and one way I cut down on the number of bottles in my house was by starting a couple infinity bottles.

If you’re not familiar with the concept of infinity bottles, they’re made by blending different spirits together in one bottle for a totally unique liquid. During the big bottle cleanout of 2024, I made two of them: one for bourbon and one for rum. Basically, I found bottles of bourbons and aged rums that were less than a third full and mixed them together to save space and try something new.

As I was doing this, my husband walked into the kitchen, asked what I was doing and inquired if there was a method to the madness or if I was simply mixing random things together. Of course it was the latter because I hadn’t even considered that maybe I should think like a blender and only combine certain flavor profiles together. But what’s done is done, and both the rum and bourbon infinity bottles taste pretty good. But it did get me to thinking: Is there a set of rules to follow when making an infinity bottle?

To get some answers, I tapped a couple experts for their infinity bottle dos and don’ts. If you want to try making your own at home, follow their advice and blend away.

DO Taste Each Spirit Before Blending

If the bottle has been in your house for a while, chances are you know what it tastes like. But maybe it’s been some months since you’ve had a dram of a particular expression, and the palate can forget. Before mixing, taste the blend that’s already in the infinity bottle and the spirit you want to add to make sure the flavor profile will be balanced. “Approach it like you’re perfecting a signature dinner recipe,” says Nick Rose, the assistant visitor experiential manager at Tuthilltown Spirits and Hudson Whiskey. “Treat every spirit as its own separate spice and use them to balance each other out.”

For example, if your infinity bottle is already on the hotter, higher ABV side, it might benefit from a mellower, more corn-forward bourbon. Or maybe it needs oomph from something with a high-rye mash bill. If you’re making an infinity bottle, chances are you’re already well-versed in the spirit you’re mixing, so trust your palate. But remember that even the most experienced blenders need to taste their creations along the way.

DON’T Add Spirits You Don’t Like

This very sound piece of advice comes from Ben Wald, spirits specialist and head of beverage programming at The Flatiron Room. “You won’t blend it away, and you’ll be stuck with those flavors for a long time,” he says.

You’re not going to love every spirit you taste, and that’s okay. But you’re also not going to make the flavor better by mixing it with other things. Only put spirits that you truly love into your precious infinity bottle.

DO Take Notes

This step is key and something I wish I would’ve done when I started my infinity bottles. “Don’t forget to take notes,” Rose says. “You’ll want to know how much of what whiskey you’ve added and what effect it has on the entire profile.”

Yes, you should keep notes on what you added to the infinity bottle, but also jot down a few details about the resulting flavor and how much you like the blend. Because if you liked your blend better, say, before you added a mellower expression, then you’ll know you need to hit with something higher ABV the next time.

Keeping a log is also important because unless you’re a super-duper taster, you’re not going to remember everything that’s in the bottle. “Do keep a log of what went in there but don’t expect to be able to taste everything every time,” Wald says.

How the “Wrong” Water Can Destroy Your Whisky Experience

Water sommeliers can help you pair booze and water (and we’ve got a cheat sheet)

DON’T Have a Heavy Hand

When you’re mixing an infinity bottle, a little can go a long way. That said, start small and increase the amount of liquid slowly but surely. “If you’re trying to reach peak perfection, don’t over-pour,” Rose says. “You can always put more in, but you can’t take it out.”

DO Try Mixing Different Spirits Together

I’ll admit I’m still too much of a novice to take this advice, but once I feel that I’ve mastered my bourbon and rum infinity bottles, a mixed blend is the next thing I want to tackle. “Do experiment with adding different spirits in a bottle,” Wald says. “Not just bourbon and Scotch, but play around with Cognac and rum and Scotch. Start small then go big.”

DON’T Be Afraid of Making Mistakes

Blenders at big whiskey brands have a very specific job to do, and if they aren’t good at that job, they probably won’t be in the position very long. But remember: This is not your full-time job. You’re experimenting, and the stakes really aren’t that serious. “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes,” Rose says. “A ‘bad’ blend doesn’t stay bad, you just have to blend in a direction. The goal is to balance the bottle to your own preference.”

DO Blend Multiple Bottles at Once

Just like some wineries and distilleries use the solera method — when small amounts of younger liquid are systematically blended with more mature liquid — don’t ever let your infinity bottle get too close to empty. “Start your infinity bottle off full, and then get it down to about half before refilling,” Wald says. “Then refill to full again and repeat this process. This is pretty much an at-home solera system, like in sherry production.”

DON’T Take Yourself Too Seriously

The more you play around with your infinity bottle, the more experience you’ll gain, meaning you’ll likely get better at making what’s in that bottle taste really good. But the whole point of an infinity bottle is to create your own blend, not recreate something that’s already on the market.

“Be adventurous and don’t try to mimic someone else’s brand,” Wald says. “If you want that specific flavor from a whiskey, go buy it! Having an infinity bottle is supposed to be fun, so have fun with it.”