Thibarine (Tunisian Date Liqueur): Step One

I was looking for a quick, but unique liqueur to make for a birthday dinner in early January. I found it: thibarine, a date liqueur from Tunisia, is infused with caraway and cardamom. Oh, my! Even the brief ten-day decant seems too long.
I started with a gluten-free potato vodka.

I crushed 1 t organic green cardamom pods and 1 t black caraway seeds in a mortar then placed all of that with 1 lb deseeded medjool dates in a small saucepan. I covered it with vodka - just enough to submerge the dates - and heated the mixture until it just began to steam. I placed all of that plus the remainder of the vodka in a large glass container. Cover and let the mixture age in a cool place for 10 days. Stir once or twice.

Strain the liqueur into a colander over a large bowl. Discard fruits and spices. Strain through cheesecloth and pour into bottles. I'll let you know in a couple of weeks how it turns out, but how can you go wrong with these ingredients?