Making Gin

So, I had this idea after we saw the Sipsmiths' tasting table at the store. Sipsmiths is a micro-distillery in London - apparently the first copper-pot distillery to open in 200 years. The gin was nice, too, and not too badly priced.

I thought I would look into what, exactly, gin is. Whisky or whiskey is grain-based: corn, barley, rye, etc. bourbon is made from corn. I bet you can guess what rye whiskey is made from. Brandy or grappa is distilled wine. I knew gin had juniper berries in it, but how is it made? Ferment the berries? To the internets!

Turns out it's neutral spirits (grain-based, again) with botanicals added. I guess every distillery has their own version, so here's what I tried:


take a liter bottle of vodka - i used smirnoff red, as it was on sale at the store -

add 2 Tablespoons juniper berries. Let soak overnight.

The following morning, add

3/4 tsp coriander seed
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp fennel seed
3 green cardamom pods
2 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf, torn into pieces
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp lavender
1 piece of lemon peel, roughly a 2 inch square.

Let this soak all day. strain out the bits that night and enjoy.


if I was doing it again i would definitely use a mason jar or something and make up a little packet with the spices, fold up a coffee filter into a little teabag and staple it shut.

filtering all the stuff out was a big pain because i didn't have a strainer or anything, ended up pouring into another bottle through a fork, then pouring back through the fork into the first bottle, then dumping the rest into a mixing bowl and then pouring THAT through the french press screen into a wineglass, then into the bottle.

Only spilled about an ounce that way, but still, unnecessary if you go with the packet method.