Rinse mint leaves and add them to a canning jar. You may need to pack them in with a spoon to get everything to fit.
3 cups peppermint leaves
Pour vodka over the leaves. Add the lid and ring and tighten to fingertip tight.
1 cup vodka
Place 1 cup of water in the Instant Pot and place a wire rack inside. Add the jars.
1 cup water
Put the lid on the Instant Pot, set the vent to “sealing” and press Manual>high pressure>30 minutes.
Allow for a natural release. Carefully remove the hot jars from the Instant Pot and place on a towel to fully cool.
Store in a cool dry place and use in a 1:1 ratio as store-bought extracts.
Traditional Method:
Rinse mint leaves and add them to a canning jar. You may need to pack them in with a spoon to get everything to fit.m
3 cups peppermint leaves
Pour vodka over the leaves. Put a lid on the jar and shake a few times.
1 cup vodka
Store in a cool dark place, shaking once a day for the first few weeks. After that, shake it whenever you think of it.
The mint extract will be ready when the liquid smells strongly of peppermint and not alcohol.
Notes
You may notice that the extract still smells of alcohol after the Instant Pot extract process. This is normal and the alcohol smell should fade over the next few weeks.Fingertip tight means you tighten the lid and ring and then loosen it just a tiny bit. This should prevent the jar from forming an actual seal. If that does happen, use a bottle opener and pop it loose when it has cooled. There is no harm in it sealing.