How To Make Gin
- 700ml bottle good quality vodka
- 2 tbsp juniper berries
- strip of lemon peel
Method:
Tip:
Making your own compound gin means that you can create a gin with the flavour profile you like. Try adding more or less of the spices listed, or adding in your own flavourings like black pepper, allspice berries or liquorice root.
How To Make A Gin Cocktail
- The key to making drinks is the balance between sweet and sour/bitter. Try not to let one element overpower the other
- Taste your drinks before you serve
- If serving over ice, fill your glass to the top with it
- Ensure your garnish is fresh and stacked close to the straws
- Remember that we drink in three steps: with our eyes first, then with our nose and finally with our mouth
As a general rule, we recommend using 50ml gin for each cocktail unless otherwise stated. If using a liqueur, reduce this to 40ml gin and use 10ml liqueur. Balance 20ml fresh citrus juice with 15ml sugar syrup thats been made from equal parts sugar and water .
Variation: Add Angostura Bitters
How to make a super sophisticated Gin and Coke? Add a few dashes of Angostura bitters! All you need are a few drops to make the flavor extraordinarily complex. Thats because bitters are made with dozens of herbs and spices: it adds intrigue because the flavors are not easily recognizable.
Angostura bitters are easy to find at your local liquor store, and you can use them for lots of cocktails! Try them in a Classic Old Fashioned, Manhattan, or Sazerac .
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Top 10 Easy Gin Cocktails
Gin is more popular than ever, so its a good time to learn some simple serving options to take it to another dimension. You dont need any fancy equipment for these speedy gin cocktails even a jam jar will do as a shaker. Its all about the love you put into the preparation.
For more inspiration, see our top 10 fruity gin cocktails and best pink gin cocktails.
Gin Cocktail Recipes You Cant Live Without In 2021
Gin is way, way more than tonics best friend. The aromatic spirit beams with botanical elements, ideal for summertime cocktails and the perfect companion to any number of interesting ingredients. So many classic cocktails rely on gins unique presence. And, thanks to gin-centric contemporary bars and a resurgence in the spirit, there are a host of new and worthwhile cocktail recipes, too.
Below, youll find 17 gin cocktails you must try to appreciate both the importance and versatility of the juniper berry-driven spirit. Weve combed through age-old recipes and pulled some from stellar books like Cocktail Codus. While others are adaptations of vintage recipes or entirely new concoctions altogether, there are still familiar recipes youll find in the list. Regardless, youll learn to love gins many complementary aspects. And, if you already do, youll gain a new mixed drink or two to file away in your bartender brain.
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You May Be Able To Ward Off Certain Diseases If You Drink Gin Every Night
Researchers in Australia studied the relation between and bacteria and found that these powerful berries were able to “block the growth of bacterial triggers” of three major health conditions: multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Juniper berries also showed promising signs of being able to help treat certain types of cancer, according to the study.
A 2014 review conducted by researchers in India further revealed that the juniper plant has also been credited with antimicrobial, antifungal, and antioxidant activity, which bodes well for it’s bacteria- and cancer-fighting potential. While gin is the only alcohol that contains a high concentration of this superfood, it is still alcohol a known carcinogen.
Yet and still, moderate consumption is generally considered safe. Theresa Hydes, a researcher at the UK’s University Hospital Southampton, told Discover that a person’s risk of developing most cancers “does not increase significantly until an individual starts drinking heavily.” While you shouldn’t look to gin as a miracle cure, choosing to drink gin every night is likely safe.
Whats A Vegan Egg White Substitute For Cocktails
Now, lets say you have a vegan guest: or you eat plant-based yourself. What to use as a vegan egg white substitute in cocktails? The answer: Aquafaba. Whats that? Aquafaba is the liquid thats in a can of chickpeas. Because its so starchy, it can work as a binder similar to an egg.
Since 2 tablespoons of aquafaba equal 1 egg white, you can use 2 tablespoons of aquafaba in this recipe as an equivalent to the actual egg white. It makes for the same type of foam!
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Whats The Best Tonic To Use For Gin And Tonics
I prefer the tonic water sold in the smaller, single-serving bottles. The tonic will be fresh and you wont lose any fizz. A lot of people swear by Schweppes, but we cant say we have noticed a difference enough to specify on that one. We particularly enjoy the Fever Tree and Q tonics.
For a lower calorie cocktail, you can use light tonic. Light tonic doesnt have as much flavor as regular, but it does help to lower the calories. You can also water regular tonic down with a little seltzer water or club soda.
Do I Need A Cocktail Shaker
Cocktail shakers are inexpensive and absolutely worth the cabinet space. A cocktail shaker quickly chills cocktails by shaking them against ice, then has a perforated lid so you can pour out the cocktail without pouring out the ice as well. Heres the cocktail shaker we use: Favorite Cocktail Shaker
Whats a substitute for a cocktail shaker? Well if you want to make a gin gimlet cocktail and dont have one, you can use a glass mason jar instead! Place the cocktail in the jar and fill it with ice. Put on the top and shake away! When pouring out the cocktail, youll need to use a strainer or some other mesh to keep the ice inside the mason jar.
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If You Drink Gin Every Night You May Be Able To Reduce Water Retention
Drinking alcohol can often lead to bloating because, as Healthline explained, it’s an “inflammatory substance.” That’s why you may notice your face becoming a little puffy or your stomach bloating after a couple drinks. Although gin is still a type of alcohol, the juniper plant from which it is made has long been in use as a diuretic. In fact, people as far back as the medieval times have recognized its power to reduce water retention, according to Healthline. “Like many natural diuretics,” the publication continued, “juniper doesn’t seem to lower potassium levels like some drugs do.” Sounds like a decent reason to drink gin every night as opposed to other alcoholic beverages.
Of course, there may be a difference in how well juniper works as a diuretic in gin form versus whole food form. No such studies have been conducted to determine if gin is a better type of alcohol to consume than others when it comes to bloating. Nevertheless, gin does, naturally, contain more juniper than other alcoholic beverages.
You May Experience Fewer Hangovers If You Drink Gin Every Night Instead Of Other Drinks
How would you like to never have a hangover ever again? That may not be entirely possible unless you avoid alcohol, of course but you can lessen your chances. However, you will have to trade in certain drinks. As Healthline highlighted, studies have found an association between congeners and hangovers. As it happens, dark drinks like brandy and whiskey are high in congeners whereas clear drinks, such as vodka and gin, have much lower levels.
“While lighter colored drinks may slightly help to prevent a hangover, drinking too many alcoholic beverages of any color will still make you feel bad the morning after,” Daniel Hall-Flavin, a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in addiction, explained to the Mayo Clinic. “Drinking large amounts of alcohol can cause dehydration, low blood sugar, digestive irritation and disturbed sleep all factors that lead to hangover symptoms.”
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My Kind Of Spring Drink Recipe: Strawberry Gin Smash
With more sunshine, my end-of-day goal is to spend a few moments putzing in my garden. This means dinner consists of simple recipes, served with easy but delicious drinks, like smashes. These smashes make up a whole new world of cocktails with endless options for muddling, mixing, and of course sipping. This one is just perfect for todays 10-Minute Happy Hour.
In the world of cocktails, the smash is historically a drink that called for mint, a lump of sugar, ice, and the spirit of your choice. The Savoy Cocktail Book, originally printed in the 1930s, says The smash is in effect a julep on a small plan.
Like the julep, smashes have come to include all sorts of fruit, and this one showcases sweet, ripe red strawberries. You can choose your spirit rum, brandy, whiskey, and gin all work. Add lemon, lime juice, or bitters to muddle with your sugar, or skip the sugar and top with a spritz. Basil and lemon balm, as well as the traditional mint, have made their way into smashes, too.
Do you love smashes? Whats your favorite?
Top 19 Gin Mixers For Fast Easy And Delicious Drinks
- Pin
Gin has become a popular spirit, one that is frequently featured in cocktails. Its hard to not love the aromatic notes of gin, but the spirit can be a little confusing at first, as gin isnt normally consumed neat. Thats where these gin mixers come into play.
The mixers featured on this list can all be combined with gin to create a simple and delicious drink. All you need is the mixer and the gin. Thats it. Two ingredients.
As youll see, there are a variety of different styles to choose from. Some mixers have powerful flavors that mostly hide the subtleties of the gin that youre using. Other mixers have more nuanced flavors, giving you the chance to experience more of the gin.
These differences mean that you need to choose your gin carefully. If youre combining with a fairly strong mixer, consider regular quality gin. You should still skip the bottom of the shelf stuff, of course, but theres no need to bring out the big guns.
For that matter, using expensive gin or craft gin with a strong mixer is just a waste, as the nuances of the gin will be lost. If the gin is expensive or complex, try a mild mixer.
If you’re looking for more ideas, check out our other lists of mixers, including mixers for rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey.
- Irn Bru
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Try It Naturally Sweet Or Use Simple Syrup
Alex and I love naturally sweetened drinks, so we love using pure maple syrup in most of our cocktail recipes. It sweetens drinks in a gentler way than simple syrup and it gives it a more nuanced flavor. When we taste test back to back, maple syrup always wins! Simple syrup has a more straightforward flavor: you can use it if you prefer!
More classic cocktails? Try these Classic Lime Cocktails.
Why Juniper The Science Behind Gins Taste
Well, thats just where gin comes from. The name gin itself is derived from either the French genièvre or the Dutch jenever, which both mean juniper.
Apart from water and ethanol, the only other raw materials used for distilled gin-making are natural flavorings. But the predominant flavor is always juniper.
Ethanol draws many different oils out of the cells of juniper berries these are mainly monoterpenes and also some sesquiterpenes.
Monoterpene flavour molecules that have been identified in these berries include:
- -pinene
- sabinene
The predominant sesquiterpene molecules are:
- farnesene
- cadinene and
- caryophyllene
All of these combine to give your drink that piney, woody, peppery, citrusy, woody, spicy, and menthol taste.
The exact flavor molecules, and especially their proportions, vary between juniper species and upon where the juniper grew which has an obvious knock-on effect on how the berries taste and smell.
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The Trick To The Foam Topping: A Dry Shake
How does it all work? Bartenders have added egg whites to cocktails since the 1860s for two reasons: it adds a frothy texture the surface of the drink, and gives each sip a creamy rich flavor. Most drinks are shaken with together with ice in a cocktail shaker. But in this Gin Fizz youll do whats called a Dry Shake. Heres how it works:
- Shake the drink ingredients without ice first. This lets the protein in the egg begin to form foam, instead of being diluted by the ice.
- Then add ice and shake again. This cools the drink and strengthens the foam. Strain it into the glass and youll get a thick, white frothy layer.
This method is used with many classic cocktails, and results in a lovely white layer of foam on top. See the Boston Sour or Pisco Sour for another foam-topped drink.
Cocktails To Try If You Like Drinking Gin
Gin is clear liquor that packs a pretty astounding amount of flavor into a small glass. It’s a neutral grain spirit distilled with juniper and botanicals that has a predominantly piney flavor, but it doesn’t stop there.
It’s similar to vodka, in that they’re both light spirits. But while vodka has no taste, gin is distinctively botanical. There are many varieties of gin, and each distiller makes its own unique take on the liquor that goes beyond juniper . For example, MKT Distillery in Katy, Texas makes a Texas gin with a dialed back juniper flavor and a citrus component featuring ruby red grapefruits, Texas mint, lime, and pecan along with juniper, of course. The result is a flavor profile that’s half citrus, half floral, and entirely unique.
Like the spirit itself, gin cocktails can be just as varied, though many feature similar flavor profiles of citrus fruits, mint, and a touch of sugar. Gin cocktails are often light, refreshing, and a little bit sweet the perfect drink for summer or, really, any time of year. Read on to find some classic gin favorites and a few new cocktails that you’ll want to try.
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Recipe By Craft Gin Club
Craft Gin Club is the biggest gin subscription club in the UK with a mission to reinvent the way gin lovers discover and enjoy new gins, all while supporting amazing craft producers.
The Craft Gin Club experts are known for selecting only the finest small-batch gins from around the world, so who better to ask how to make your very own batch at home than Craft Gin Club themselves.
This guide were about to share with you takes its main inspiration from a homemade gin recipe by Craft Gin Club, but weve put in tips from homemade-gin makers, such as yourself, to make sure the results of your first gin run are nothing but perfect.
Ingredients:
Instructions :
Step 1: Add Your Botanicals to Your Vodka, Minus Any Fresh Peel
First things first, sterilize a clean mason jar or glass bottle with boiling water and dry afterward.
Then, add to your jar or bottle with 750ml quality vodka, 2 tbsp juniper berries using a funnel.
Now, add the other listed ingredients 1 tsp coriander seeds, 2 cardamom pods, peppercorns, your cinnamon stick
Making your own compound gin means that its flavor profile is your choice. Feel free to add in your own flavorings like flower petals, fennel seeds, cassia bark, angelica root, or liquorice powder.
TIP: For a stronger flavor its a good idea to bruise the cardamom pods and juniper in a pestle and mortar first.
- Bay leaves
- Black pepper
Classic Gin Cocktails Everyone Should Know How To Make
Maybe youre standing over a smoking engine. Maybe youre trying to negotiate lower loan rates for that crushing debt you have. Maybe youre trying to politely wiggle your way out of yet another office empowerment retreat. Whatever the situation may be, at some point weve all realized that a lot of what we learned in school has very little to do with certain practicalities of adulthood.
Among the many lessons we didnt learn : the cannon of classic cocktails. More importantly, how to prepare them. So we thought wed start up where school left off with a roster of some classic gin cocktails for your sipping pleasure.
We wont assume you have a full bar . And some of the ingredients below are a little esoteric, e.g., dry vermouth probably wont find a place in your weekend smoothie routine. But you can also pick and choose, learning how to make this or that cocktail while you slowly build your repertoireand bar. This is a fairly solid its not comprehensive. For obvious reasons, were not including the Gin and Tonic. We figure you got that.
drop!
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