We live in a time when being a foodie is a celebration. As the more middle-class cousins to gourmets and gastronomes, we foodies have the same discriminating palates and passion for flavor, experimentation, and a mix of food cultures to help us build our skills and develop our cooking hobbies. We’re also very good at cooking on a budget. In the world of mixologists—a particular breed of foodie—making gin is the perfect representation of this. It’s crazy-easy, doesn’t take long, and you end up with excellent alcohol without breaking the bank.
Quick spirit-making lesson: Grain neutral spirit (GNS) is a high-proof alcohol distilled from cereal grains, vegetables, etc. GNS is often the base for making other spirits, so the quality of those initial grains and vegetables matters. Also, for people who have celiac disease or other conditions impacted by gluten, the source of the neutral spirit is key information. The point is when you choose the neutral grain spirit (usually vodka) for making homemade gin, think about the people you want to share it with, know their health issues, and pay attention to what you are purchasing.
Vodka (usually the base of homemade gin recipes) is GNS that has been re-distilled and diluted to make it safe, smooth, and an ideal base for adding flavors. You don’t have to get a top-shelf bottle, but you should spend the money to get something you like.
Regarding which herbs to include in your gin, the flavorings in gin can be so subtle they are hard to identify, and many gin producers do not list ingredients on their labels. One of our favorite gins has 17 herbs! If you have a favorite store-bought gin, you can usually do an internet search to figure out the primary herbal flavors so you can add them to your homemade gin. Juniper berries are a must, but you can make juniper a primary forward-facing flavor or cut them back so they’re just a whisper in a more complex blend.
This recipe makes a highly flavored, aromatic gin. If you don’t want so much herbal flavor, use half straight vodka and half homemade gin in your cocktails. Consider this recipe as a starting point; adjust flavors to create a gin you love. Just remember that it doesn’t take much of an herb or spice to impact the overall flavor. Finally, if you’ve never made gin, quarter this recipe and experiment before committing to a full bottle. Take good notes so you can dial in the flavors to your liking.
Makes 1 liter.
Ingredients
Directions
Pro Tip: Lightly crush juniper berries, coriander seeds, hawthorn berries, and peppercorns before adding to vodka. Although not necessary, this will help extract more flavor.
This is a perfect summer cocktail that is simple to make. Note that a “shot” is 1 1/2 liquid oz.
Makes one 8 oz. cocktail.
Ingredients
Directions
You may also enjoy
Topics: Herbal Gift Ideas, Recipes, Herbalism, Tea & Herbal Drinks
Heidi is an award winning freelance writer with a passion for urban homesteading. She has been honored to receive a number of literary prizes including the esteemed Pushcart Prize and an Individual Artists Award in Creative Writing from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. When she isn’t working in the garden, cleaning the henhouse, preserving food, crafting herbal formulations, or writing and editing content for really fantastic small businesses, you’ll likely find her with her nose in a book.
.jpg?width=1080&name=2023%20(1).jpg "Mountain Rose Herbs 2023 Impact Report")
We live in a time when being a foodie is a celebration. As the more middle-class cousins to gourmets and gastronomes, we foodies have the same discriminating palates and passion for flavor, experimentation, and a mix of food cultures to help us build our skills and develop our cooking hobbies. We’re also very good at cooking on a budget. In the world of mixologists—a particular breed of foodie—making gin is the perfect representation of this. It’s crazy-easy, doesn’t take long, and you end up with excellent alcohol without breaking the bank.
Quick spirit-making lesson: Grain neutral spirit (GNS) is a high-proof alcohol distilled from cereal grains, vegetables, etc. GNS is often the base for making other spirits, so the quality of those initial grains and vegetables matters. Also, for people who have celiac disease or other conditions impacted by gluten, the source of the neutral spirit is key information. The point is when you choose the neutral grain spirit (usually vodka) for making homemade gin, think about the people you want to share it with, know their health issues, and pay attention to what you are purchasing.
Vodka (usually the base of homemade gin recipes) is GNS that has been re-distilled and diluted to make it safe, smooth, and an ideal base for adding flavors. You don’t have to get a top-shelf bottle, but you should spend the money to get something you like.
Regarding which herbs to include in your gin, the flavorings in gin can be so subtle they are hard to identify, and many gin producers do not list ingredients on their labels. One of our favorite gins has 17 herbs! If you have a favorite store-bought gin, you can usually do an internet search to figure out the primary herbal flavors so you can add them to your homemade gin. Juniper berries are a must, but you can make juniper a primary forward-facing flavor or cut them back so they’re just a whisper in a more complex blend.
This recipe makes a highly flavored, aromatic gin. If you don’t want so much herbal flavor, use half straight vodka and half homemade gin in your cocktails. Consider this recipe as a starting point; adjust flavors to create a gin you love. Just remember that it doesn’t take much of an herb or spice to impact the overall flavor. Finally, if you’ve never made gin, quarter this recipe and experiment before committing to a full bottle. Take good notes so you can dial in the flavors to your liking.
Makes 1 liter.
Ingredients
Directions
Pro Tip: Lightly crush juniper berries, coriander seeds, hawthorn berries, and peppercorns before adding to vodka. Although not necessary, this will help extract more flavor.
This is a perfect summer cocktail that is simple to make. Note that a “shot” is 1 1/2 liquid oz.
Makes one 8 oz. cocktail.
Ingredients
Directions
You may also enjoy
Topics: Herbal Gift Ideas, Recipes, Herbalism, Tea & Herbal Drinks
Heidi is an award winning freelance writer with a passion for urban homesteading. She has been honored to receive a number of literary prizes including the esteemed Pushcart Prize and an Individual Artists Award in Creative Writing from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. When she isn’t working in the garden, cleaning the henhouse, preserving food, crafting herbal formulations, or writing and editing content for really fantastic small businesses, you’ll likely find her with her nose in a book.
