Gin is hugely popular right now, and with good reason. It’s one of the tastiest and most versatile spirits around and, in recent years, has become synonymous with experimental tastes.
Despite its recent resurgence as a spirit of choice, gin has always been popular. Originating as a medicinal liquor back in the 11th century, it has gone on to interweave with world culture in a whole host of fascinating and important ways.
It might seem like making something like gin would be really complicated, but it may be easier than you think!
Today, we’re going to be looking at how you can make this wonderful drink from the warmth of your own home. So, without further ado, let’s make some gin!
What Are The Ingredients Of Gin?
When you break gin down to its core components it is a pretty simple recipe. Essentially, gin is a neutral base spirit with botanicals added, and this is what gives it its flavour. It is similar to vodka, but much more herbal.
There are two things that classify a gin. First of all, juniper is the most prominent botanical used. Secondly, gin has to be at least 37.5% Abv in strength. Outside of these two sticking points, you can get fairly creative with gin.
So, what will you need to make your gin?
Ingredients:
- 750ml Vodka
- 2 tbsp juniper berries
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 peppercorns
- Small dried orange peel
- Small dried lemon peel
- Half a stick of cinnamon
Once you have all of these ingredients, you have all of the necessary pieces to make a basic gin. Of course, you don’t need to include all of these things, and you can even add more.This is a really good starter gin that should set you up for the future when you can get even more experimental with your gin flavours!
Step-by-Step Guide To Making Gin
The first thing you will need when making gin is a clean mason jar or glass bottle. You can clean your chosen item by using boiling water, which will sterilise it.
Sterilisation is an important part of the process, not just for taste but for safety too.
Once you have sterilised, add your botanicals. Do not include the orange and lemon peel at this point, as this will come in at a later stage.
When you have added your botanicals, fill up your chosen container with vodka. This is where the process truly begins. With a topped up bottle, simply leave your mixture to infuse in a cool dark place for 24 hours.
24 hours might seem like a long time to wait, but many spirits can take years to fully develop, so consider yourself lucky with this one!
After 24 hours, it’s time to taste the mixture. It should have started to get some of its delicious flavours by this point.
If it is up to standard, now is when you add your fresh fruit peel. If you want to add any other botanicals, now is the time.
Now leave the infusion for another 24 hours, but make sure to give the bottle a good shake at some point in this process.
It’s important to keep checking on the drink to ensure that you don’t over brew it. This could result in an overpowering taste that would not be to most peoples liking.
If you’re happy with the flavour after all of this, then it’s time to filter out all of the botanicals. This can be done by using a sieve and may take multiple attempts to get every bit of sediment out.
Now the drink is pretty much finished! You just have to let it sit for a few days, making sure to regularly check on it. After that, ensure that all remaining sediment has been filtered out and you’re ready to serve your very own gin.
Making your own gin is a fun way to engage with the process of enjoying the drink itself, and sharing your creation with friends and family can make it an all-round enriching experience.
We hope this guide has been helpful in your journey to becoming a gin-making extraordinaire!