How To Make Your Own Gin

Whats In The Base Spirit

How to make your own gin at home

.Vodka! Yes, we are indeed making our homemade gin with vodka, and heres whyGin needs a grain-based spirit to get started. A lot of vodkas these days are made with grain so the easiest way is to start with vodka. Once infused with juniper berries the vodka turns into gin!You dont need to buy the most expensive vodka for your homemade gin, but make sure its drinkable . Something middle of the range like this is absolutely fine.The amount of base spirit you use will roughly translate to the finished quantity of gin . Sometimes fresh botanicals may absorb some of your base spirit leaving you with less at the end. If you want to make 500ml of homemade gin, use 500ml of Vodka or slightly more. Make sure to keep extra room in your mason jar for all your added botanicals. As a general rule I double the jar size based on the gin Im making so I would use a 750ml-1ltr jar for 500ml of gin.

Making Your Own Gin At Home

Making DIY gin is a great way to save money and enjoy other beverages with this herbal spirit, including gin cocktails. The Craft Gin Club has an excellent recipe to help you make your own gin run successful.

Ingredients:

750 mL of high-quality vodka

Directions:

Pour boiling water into a clean mason jar and dry it. The heat from the boiling water sterilises the glass and creates an ideal situation for flavouring agents to start working, similar to the process of brewing tea. If you dont have a glass jar, you can use a glass bottle as long as it has a lid that seals securely.

Add the juniper berries and other botanicals to the mason jar, but dont add the dried lemon peel or the orange peel yet. A fresh peel can be too potent for a 48-hour infusion, so dried options are ideal. If you like a tart gin, using a fresh peel will be more suitable for you than the subdued flavour of a dry citrus peel.

Add the vodka to the mason jar. Make sure you have enough room for all your botanicals and the alcohol or get a larger jar if necessary. A good-quality vodka is crucial for your homemade gin to make it both potent and tasty.

Next is the infusion process. Close the jar and store it in a cool, dark place for 24 hours. This allows the berries to infuse their flavour into the alcohol mixture.

Whys Homemade Gin Brown

Im guessing by now youve noticed the deep amber color of the homemade gin? Its quite the contrast to commercial gins thatre typically clear and colorless.

The difference in hue stems from commercial gin going through an extra distillation step after being steeped with the herbs and spices.

Distillation is a simple separation technique that slowly heats a liquid to separate compounds out via their boiling point. Since we know a mixture of ethanol-water boils around 78°C, this is the fraction of the liquid that is kept and turned into the final commercial product.

Since most distillers discard any compounds that boil above or below 78°C, the gin is stripped of the molecules that lend color and pigmentation.

Im guessing like me, you dont have a distillation set-up, so the colorful molecules will remain in the homemade gin giving the brown hue.

There is a certain type of gin, sloe gin, that closely resembles this homemade recipe. Sloe gin, unlike other commercial varieties, doesnt go through the final distillation step. It too retains a deep amber color.

Like I said, my recipe is still a work in progress, but its been a fun experiment to tinker with. And with so many days being spent at home, its an easy way to pass the time.

Let me know if you have any additions to the gin recipe, or if something different works well for you.

Maybe by the end of this, well all be expert gin makers.

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The Best Flavoured Gin Recipes

Raspberry gin

Strawberry gin

Try more cakes, ice creams, cocktails and dreamy desserts with our ultimate strawberry collection.

Sloe gin

Once youve made your infusion try our easy sloe gin cocktail recipes.

Damson gin

Elderflower gin

Pair up your cocktail with our fabulous elderflower recipes. Bake up a cake, mix up a cordial and much more.

Rhubarb gin

Celebrate spring with more vibrant vegetable recipes in our rhubarb collection.

Want to expand your infusing skills? Learn how to make flavoured spirits like rum and vodka with our simple guide.

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Cocktails With Homemade Gin

Want to make cocktails with your homemade gin? No problem. Weve handpicked a few great cocktails that work brilliantly with this type of compound gin:

Looking for something simple but sophisticated? Then learn how to make a vesper a twist on the classic Martini thats better suited to the compound gin you just made.

Or how about something beautifully boozy for hot summer days? Then go with this gin cocktail with mango and berry nectar known as the revel, or a classic Singapore sling.

Alternatively, maybe youre after something dark and bitterly complex, like the hanky panky, invented by pioneering female bartender Ada Coleman back in 1925. Or if its simply that time of year and youre looking for something suitably festive, why not go for a Christmassy mulled gin cocktail instead?

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It’s All About The Flavor

The distinction in gins is usually in the flavors and the flavor-makers that are added to the alcohol. Most gin makers dip the herbs and spices in neutral alcohol to bring out the flavor of those herbs and spices. We call this process maceration. If the gin maker stops after this maceration process, we speak of infused or bathtub gin.

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Requirements For Homemade Gin

Under the European Union, there is a specific definition regarding gins makeup and taste, and there are regulations for the process of making it.

The EU requires that gin be made from a natural ingredient such as potatoes, wheat, or barley so that it has a neutral flavour. Additionally, all gin must have juniper as a flavouring agent otherwise, it is not a proper gin. However, other gin botanicals are popular for adding extra flavouring.

Gin must have a pure alcohol content of at least 37.5%. Alcohol-free gin does exist, although you cant make it at home without using a juniper syrup and carbonated soda water.

What Are Botanicals

How to make your own craft gin

From the web:A botanical is a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal or therapeutic properties, flavor, and/or scent.basically, theyre spices, fruits, seeds and herbs that give gin its flavour. A fine gin usually contains between 6-10 botanicals, but the only required botanical for your spirit to be called gin is juniper berries!There are so many options to choose from when making your own gin, but this is an excellent place to start

Base Botanicals for Beginners A monkey recipe for a basic 250ml bottle of homemade gin:

15g Juniper Berries

1 Vanilla Pod
Add 1-2 tsp of sugar after the fresh botanical infusion if you like things a bit sweeter

Top Tips!

If you find your gin is too strong and youre not getting enough of a certain flavour, you can remove the base botanicals after the first 48 hours and leave your gin to infuse with the more subtle flavours. Youll see me do this with my gin in the video below.

Dont leave your gin to infuse too long as it can get bitter just 3-4 days is all you need to create a lovely tasting gin at home.You can add as many botanicals as you like, but less is often more when youre just starting out. Experiment in small batches to find the botanicals that appeal to you and adjust their quantities from there.Think about the gins you enjoy drinking and take a look at their botanical list! This will give you a good idea of the botanicals you might like in your own gin at home. And finally

The Perfect Serve

Cucumber Tonic

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How To Make Gin

This article was co-authored by Tom Blake. Tom Blake manages the bartending blog, craftybartending.com. He has been a bartender since 2012 and has written a book named The Bartender’s Field Manual.There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 28,308 times.

Gin is a delicious spirit enjoyed by many all around the world! Making gin is a really fun activity to do with some friends, and it also allows you to get as creative as you like with the ingredients. Notes of cinnamon, chamomile, and lavender are just a few of the popular flavors to experiment with. With a few ingredients and a little bit of time, you’ll be able to create your own tasty gin at home. The amount that you can make with the ingredients listed below will vary depending on how many botanicals you use in each blend as you could use very few at once or all of them at once.

Is All Gin Made From Vodka

No. Most Gin is distilled as gin and does not start as vodka. We are making a rustic gin that starts with vodka and that is ok. We are not distilling anything, but just having fun with the ingredients we have at home.

If you are interested in distilling gin, there are resources out there for you. Check for your local rules, laws, and regulations before you start down that path.

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Collecting Your Gin Distillate

Collecting your gin distillate is where all of your hard work pays off. Being both a mixture of art and science, this process can be challenging for a new distiller. That being said, dont let this deter you if you are a newcomer to distilling. After you run a few batches with your still, youll definitely be able to dial things in by taking notes and making the necessary changes. You know what they say. Practice makes perfect.

Make Your Own Gin: Homemade Gin Kit

Have you ever been curious about just how it feels to magically convert one alcohol into another form? Well now you can transform a generic bottle of vodka into gin from the comfort of your own home in just 36 hours. The Homemade Gin Kit carries everything necessary to put those gin powers in your hands. Included in your kit are two 375mL glass bottles, fine stainless steel strainer, stainless steel funnel, juniper berries, and a super secret botanical blend. To begin the vodka makeover obtain a generic vodka , add the gin-gredients, let the infusion begin, leave alone for 36 hours, strain the gin , and enjoy your creation.

The Homemade Gin Kit also offers an add-on kit, refills, and other ingredients to change things up. The Barrel Aged Spirit Kit includes two honeycombed, charred-oak barrel staves allowing you to quickly age your homemade gin. So if youve ever wanted to try your hand at gin making or want to impress your friends by telling them you actually turned vodka into gin, this is the kit for you!

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Winter Infused Gin Recipe

Whats great about this recipe is how incredibly easy it is. You basically just steep a bunch of herbs and spices in a neutral spirit, such as vodka, for a few days and there it is.

Now here is where I tell you what I did a little differently .

I only used 1 tsp coriander seeds and added 1 tsp anise seeds, because I read that they are often used in gin making and that sounded tasty to me.

I actually didnt think that I had any coriander seeds, until I got smart and raided my gardening seed packets. Coriander is cilantro seed, and I had some on hand!

I also used a fresh sage leaf from my garden, and was happy to find that the plant was alive and well under all the snow.

Since there is no white fir in my immediate vicinity, I used Douglas-fir instead. I debated between that and blue spruce, as I bet that would be nice as well.

Any edible conifer sprig will work instead of white fir, such as pine, spruce, or Douglas-fir.

Do not use Yew as it is toxic.

Prepping And Cleaning Your Still

*DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!

Unfortunately, because many people do skip the prepping and cleaning step, it causes their product to be subpar in the end. If you aim to maximize the quality of your distilled spirit, then its all about attention to detail. Youll want to start on prep-work by cleaning your still. Below is a great walkthrough from our friends at Barley and Hops Brewing.

Even if youve cleaned the still after your last run, you will want to clean it again. If youre just now learning how to make gin or any other spirit for that matter, now is the time to really emphasize this. Building good habits early on in your distilling routine is smart.

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Distillery Tour And Guided Tasting

45 mins | £25 per person

A guided tour and tasting to give you an insight into our distillery life.

Well take you on a tour of the distillery to give you an insight into what were so passionate about. With every part of our production done in-house, youll see first-hand what goes into making one of the most awarded gins in the country.

After this, well guide you through sampling our gins to understand our flavour profiles and help you decide which your favourite is.

Adding Botanical Mix To Your Still Column

MAKE YOUR OWN HOMEMADE GIN FROM VODKA

After youve cleaned your still thoroughly, youll need to add your botanical mix to your still column. For this, you will roll up about 20 inches of copper packing and insert it into the bottom section of your stills column. Then wrap your crushed botanical mix into a folded piece of cheesecloth. Be sure to fold the sides of the cheesecloth upward to make a small satchel. Tie a string around the top of your small botanical satchel.

Lower your botanical cheesecloth satchel down the column onto the copper packing using the string. If you are using a still with a site glass section, clamp it below the section of your column with the copper packing.

If your still setup has a condenser, hook up your water input and output.

Next, youre going to add your gin mash water into your still. We highly recommend using a siphon for this process. This method is the best way to reduce the amount of sediment from your fermented gin mash water getting into the still. Leaving particles and sediments in the mash water will cause the distillate to burn and ruin your product, so be diligent during this step.

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How To Filter Your Homemade Gin

When the gin is ready to be filtered, you use the cotton filter included in the kit to strain the vodka that is now considered gin. I rinsed the filter under water first before using it.

Secure the cotton filter to the measuring jug with an elastic band.

Slowly pour the vodka onto the mesh.

As you pour the vodka now considered gin through the filter, the juniper berries and the botanicals will fall out onto the top of the filter.

Once all of the liquid has been poured into the measuring jug, you can dump the juniper berries and the botanicals.

This is the first filter. Let the gin sit for 24 hours and then give it a second filter. Follow the same approach as above.

You pour the gin back into your bottle and you let it sit for a further day or two. Now your gin is read to be served with ice, lemonade or tonic water and you can garnish your drink with some cucumber slices.

How to filter homemade gin

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How To Make Gin Right At Home

Published on April 10, 2019 by Ben · Updated on May 19, 2021 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. ·

Making your own delicious gin doesn’t need to be complicated. Step up your classic cocktail game by constructing your own rustic gin. Join me as we explore how to make gin.

We have already made tonic water and now we are going to make some gin! As indicated in our post of the different kinds of gin, most of the gins bought in stores are distilled with aromatics and juniper during the distillation processes. Composite gin, however, is derived from infusing these items right into a neutral alcohol. Inspired by the recipe from this video, we are going to learn how to make gin at home.

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