[majorvices]

A vodka tincture is not not necessary. I add fruit and spices to many ales and most all brett beers and do not sanitize any of it. I have never needed the extra extraction vodka would provide. I learned the zest thing from my wife. She has been using a micro plane to zest fruit and add it to 2 quarts of water in a pitcher. It's a great flavored drink. I micro plane the zest, Starsan my hands and a fine mesh bag, secure zest inside bag and through it in at kegging. A little zest and an IPA or APA is mighty tasty IMO. Oh, a micro plane eliminates the pith, you do not want that in anything.

I don't suggest to add the zest to voka for sanitation but for flavor extraction. Seems to work better than just adding directly to wort plus, more importantly, you can add a bit at a time until you get the flavor where you want it. If you add too much zest you can't take it away.

You can also mix and taste immediately with vodka. With zest you must wait for the flavor to diffuse.

Then there's that!